Officer indicted for misusing databases to harass and extort women

The 15-count indictment from the Justice Ministry Police Investigation Department identifies 28-year-old Samer Sheikh of Abu Snan, who worked in the traffic division of the Yarkon district.

By SARAH BEN-NUN

JULY 20, 2026 14:26

Updated: JULY 20, 2026 14:57

A police officer appeared before Haifa District Court on Sunday facing charges that he exploited internal police databases to gather personal details on women and then subjected them and their relatives to prolonged sexual harassment, threats, and extortion using fake WhatsApp profiles.

The indictment prepared by the Justice Ministry Police Investigation Department names 28-year-old Samer Sheikh of Abu Snan, who served in the traffic division of the police Yarkon district.

He faces multiple charges including extortion by threats, sexual harassment, threats, impersonation, invasion of privacy, fraud, causing an indecent act, and breach of trust.

According to the indictment, Sheikh carried a police tablet linked to internal databases even off duty and from 2022 until his arrest repeatedly accessed personal information of many women. He allegedly saved screenshots on his own devices and used the data to reach out to the women and their family members.

Prosecutors stated that Sheikh set up multiple fake WhatsApp accounts posing as various individuals, sometimes appearing as a man and other times using the name and photo of one of the women.

Officer secretly records intimate video calls

The indictment covers 14 primary complainants along with relatives and friends who were contacted during the scheme.

In one major count, Sheikh is accused of secretly recording intimate video calls with a former partner and then threatening to release the recordings unless she joined additional explicit video sessions.

To strengthen the threats, prosecutors said, Sheikh used an intimate photo of the woman as a profile picture on a fake account and sent sexual material involving her to her brother and fiance.

In another count, Sheikh allegedly threatened to release intimate photos and videos of a woman unless she performed sexual acts on video calls. The woman eventually sent him explicit videos in response to the threats, the indictment states.

Officer kept harassing women after rejection

Additional counts claim that Sheikh sent repeated unwanted sexual messages and explicit material, falsely informed relatives that women appeared in pornographic videos, and threatened to damage their reputations or share intimate content if they refused his demands.

In several instances, he allegedly continued contacting the women even after they rejected him, blocked his numbers, or warned they would report him to police.

The final count addresses the alleged misuse of his police position. Prosecutors said Sheikh unlawfully accessed police systems to enable the sexual and other offenses, amounting to fraud and breach of trust by a public servant.