Police arrested a former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) employee and former police officer for accepting bribes of up to NIS 100,000 in exchange for helping citizens not allowed to leave the country exit Israel, Channel 10 news reported Wednesday.
The police's National Fraud Squad suspect that the two are part of a larger network which was helping such citizens escape the country, according to channel 10 news.
The suspects are due to appear before the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court, and police have requested to extend their remands on suspicions of obstruction of justice.
The arrests followed an undercover investigation, carried out by the fraud unit for the past two months at the Ben-Gurion International Airport, which tracked people who exited the country illegally either due to a pending court order or for other reasons.
Police made the arrests after gathering evidence against the two, though two other suspects on whom police have information remain at large.
In addition to the former Shin Bet and police employees, the ring apparently also included a lawyer and private investigator, according to Channel 10 news.
According to the report, the private investigator would track down people banned from leaving the country, and offer them the ring's services in exchange for cash. The solicitor of the group's services would provide a deposit, paying the rest of the sum at an organized meeting point at Ben-Gurion airport on the day of their departure, according to the report.
Police suspect the group collected between NIS 10,000 to NIS 100,000 in cash in exchange for helping people exit the country illegally.