Shiran Shabtai Sofer, mother of 10-year-old Yaheli, who went missing from Petah Tikva on Sunday evening and was later found in Bnei Brak, said her son had been playing with friends at a field when the young man suspected of kidnapping him arrived.

"He was playing with friends at the playground when a young man came and threatened them, demanding that they give him money," she recounted. "The children were frightened and ran away, and one of them let him make a phone call."

According to his mother, Yaheli remained at the scene because he felt sorry for the young man.

"Of all the children, Yaheli, who felt sorry for him, stayed there, and he began manipulating him. He said that he had been thrown out of his home and had no money," she said.

The mother claimed that the young man subsequently used her son "to collect donations and took him on a bus to Bnei Brak," she said.

After the child failed to return home, police received a report that he was missing, and officers from the Petah Tikva police station in the Central District launched an extensive search.

"I know my child. If he had been in the neighborhood, he would have come home earlier," his mother said. According to her, after Yaheli was found, he began to understand the significance of what he had experienced. "Only now does he understand the magnitude of what happened."

During the search, and acting on information provided by Petah Tikva police, officers from the Bnei Brak police station located the child in the city. He was found together with the young Jerusalem resident, and both were taken to the Petah Tikva police station.

Investigators opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident and what occurred after the boy disappeared. At this stage, no further details have been released regarding the relationship between the child and the suspect or the circumstances under which they arrived in Bnei Brak.

Following questioning, the suspect was jailed. Police are expected to bring him before a court later on Monday in accordance with the needs of the investigation.