Arrest of One of the 'Kidnappers' of Dozens of Young Girls in Iranshahr

The public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Iranshahr announced the arrest of one of the 'kidnappers' of girls in this city by security forces. Meanwhile, a group of people in Iranshahr gathered in front of the governor's office demanding attention to this case. Iranshahr County, with a population of less than 150,000, is located in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. On Friday, Mowlavi Tayeb Malazahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Iranshahr, spoke during the Eid al-Fitr prayers about the 'rape of 41 girls' in this county, which sparked widespread reactions on social media. Following this statement during the Eid al-Fitr prayers, Mohammad Khani, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Iranshahr, told the ILNA news agency on Sunday, June 17, that 'one of the kidnappers of girls in this county has been identified and arrested by security forces.' According to the prosecutor of Iranshahr, investigations regarding the reasons for the kidnappings and the identification of accomplices of the arrested individual are ongoing. Mowlavi Tayeb Malazahi mentioned during the Eid al-Fitr prayers that a girl returning home from work was kidnapped by a group in a car and was in the hands of 'these wolves' until sunset. He added that the father of this girl had spoken to him about the incident. In the same speech, the Friday prayer leader announced the arrest of one of these 'thugs' and expressed hope that the others would also be arrested. According to the Friday prayer leader, the arrested individual, who is 'wealthy and rich,' has confessed to 41 cases of 'rape.' Mowlavi Tayeb urged the governor of Iranshahr, who was present at the Eid al-Fitr prayer ceremony, to take action against the perpetrators. In this regard, Nabibakhsh Davoodi, the governor of Iranshahr, issued a statement announcing that following the 'ugly and heinous incident' in the city, the 'main perpetrator' of these events was arrested in less than a few hours. The governor promised that there would be 'not a bit of leniency or compromise' regarding this case while also requesting to avoid 'any emotional and illegal actions.' However, despite the statements of the Friday prayer leader, the governor of Iranshahr told ILNA that 'so far, no specific number or information regarding the issue of the rape of girls in Iranshahr' has been obtained. He described this case as 'complicated' and stated: 'Proving the issue of rape against girls in Iranshahr requires special tests and follow-ups that are on the agenda of the security council and forensic medicine, and credible news will be published soon.' According to Mohammad Naim Aminifard, the representative of Iranshahr, so far four victims have undergone medical examinations and disease screenings and have received medical support. On the other hand, based on images published on social media on Sunday, June 17, a group of people gathered in front of the governor's office in Iranshahr demanding attention to this case. Reports indicate that the governor spoke with the protesters.