Israel Police questioned an 83-year-old Bedouin man from Rahat, a father of 45, on suspicion of polygamy and offenses related to illegal residence in Israel.

The man is suspected of being married to nine women, five of whom are not Israeli residents, including residents of the Palestinian Authority who are suspected of having stayed in Israel without legal permits.

The investigation was opened by the Polygamy Unit of the Southern District Central Unit following information received in May. Last week, one of his wives, a resident of the Dahariya area, was located and detained for questioning before being removed from Israel.

The suspect was also questioned on suspicion of harboring and transporting people who were illegally present in Israel. He was released under restrictive conditions, including house arrest.

In a separate case, a 40-year-old resident of Bir Hadaj was questioned on suspicion that he was already married to two women when he married a third woman on July 30.

Shortly after the wedding, he traveled with her to Barcelona for their honeymoon. On August 15, he was arrested immediately after the couple returned to Israel in a joint operation by detectives from the Central Unit and Ben Gurion Airport Police.

The third wife was detained for questioning, while police also took statements from his two other wives.

The suspect was questioned on suspicion of polygamy and released under restrictive conditions. Police said additional evidence was collected that allegedly links him to the offense.

The investigations into both cases are ongoing, and once completed, the files will be transferred to the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office for review.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)