Hod Hasharon man lived under dead man’s name

Man arrested after lodging a complaint with police on stolen phones that led to the discovery.

police arrest handcuffs suspect cops criminal 311 (R) (photo credit: Benoit Tessier / Reuters)
police arrest handcuffs suspect cops criminal 311 (R)
(photo credit: Benoit Tessier / Reuters)
A resident of Hod Hasharon was arrested this week after lodging a complaint with police on stolen phones that led to the discovery that he had been living under the name of a dead man, police said on Thursday.
“The officers at Kfar Saba police station thought they saw everything,” a police spokesman said, adding that officers were very surprised by the twist of events.
The man had reported two cellphones stolen on Tuesday while he was out with his young son in a park. The phones were left in a baby stroller and stolen, the man added.
Police located two suspects, aged 16 and 18, from Hebron, and found them in possession of the phones hidden in their underwear. They were arrested, and the man was called to the police station to take down a full testimony from him.
After being asked to provide an ID, officers ran a check of the man’s name and found the identity he was using belonged to another man who immigrated to Israel and died five years ago.
The man was detained on suspicion of identity fraud, and later confessed to paying $400 for the identity.