Woman accused of posing as man and deceiving women into sexual acts released to house arrest

After almost two weeks in custody, the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court on Sunday ordered the release of the young woman suspected of impersonating a man and forming relationships with women, placing her under house arrest for 10 days.

Police have attributed allegations of rape and indecent acts to her, and the State Attorney’s Office is expected to soon file a serious indictment against her.

During the hearing, the suspect asked the court to release her and revealed that she had previously served as a police officer for two years.

“I have no criminal record. I was a police officer for two years. Everything I did was because I was in a low place in my life,” she said. “I want to go home. I do not intend to obstruct the investigation, I was a police officer and I know how things work.”

Following the hearing, the court ordered her release to 10 days of house arrest after she had spent roughly two weeks in custody.

Police examining how long the suspect deceived women online

According to police suspicions, the complainants’ consent to the alleged acts was obtained through deception, as they believed the person with whom they were in a relationship was a man. Police suspect that, as part of those relationships, the suspect caused some of the women to perform sexual acts on themselves.

The investigation began on July 26, after several women in their 20s arrived at a police station and provided testimony. Each woman described a similar pattern to investigators: a relationship that began online with someone who introduced himself as “Orel Hazan.”

According to police, the person behind the profile and male identity throughout the period was the same young woman.

Investigators believe the suspicions do not center on a single incident or a short period of time. Police are examining the possibility that the alleged pattern continued for years and are working to determine whether additional women had relationships with someone who presented himself as “Orel Hazan” and were harmed in a similar manner.

So far, police have collected testimony from five women. One complainant told investigators: “For months we were in a romantic relationship, until I discovered that it was a woman.”

Her attorney, Erez Bar Zvi, said after the hearing: “I am glad that with the agreement of the police, my client was released under conditions. We are confident that once the facts become clear, the case will be closed with nothing.”