Forensic Medicine Chief: The Tabriz Doctor is Likely the Killer

In a twist in the case of the death of a well-known Tabriz doctor's family, Ahmad Shojaei, head of Iran's Forensic Medicine Organization, announced on Wednesday that the cause of death for the family members was poisoning with rice pills, stating, "It is highly likely that the doctor is the killer." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), on Wednesday, Aban 12, the head of the Forensic Medicine Organization cited the organization's opinion that the cause of death for two family members was the consumption of rice pills that, according to him, were used in food. Ahmad Shojaei emphasized that the forensic work on this case is complete and the final conclusion on the matter is a "judicial discussion and follow-up," stating, "It is highly likely that the doctor is the killer." He also mentioned, "Evidence and cameras show that the food was prepared from a restaurant." Meanwhile, Khalil Elahi, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, announced that "based on the forensic opinion, the cause of death for two family members of this doctor was poisoning with phosphine poison, and this type of poison was discovered in the food examined." According to the Tabriz prosecutor, "The issue of poisoning with sacrificial food in this case is one hundred percent dismissed; the sacrificial food issue was not raised at all." Khalil Elahi, in an interview with Mizan news agency, stated that "during the investigations, the location of this eatery was identified, and by examining the content of the cameras present at the location, the manner of purchasing the food was clarified." In the last days of Mehr this year, coinciding with the ninth day of Muharram, Tasu'a, some local news websites reported the death of two family members of a Tabriz doctor due to consuming "suspicious sacrificial food." According to the head of the East Azerbaijan judiciary, this doctor claimed that someone had provided him with several sacrificial foods, and his family members became poisoned after consuming this food, were taken to the hospital, and ultimately, his wife and grandmother passed away. Following this, some media reported that this doctor was accused and confessed to the murders of his family members, which was denied in an interview with one of his relatives. This Tabriz doctor, named Alireza Solhi, initially gained fame through the publication of beautifully written prescriptions on social media, in which he recommended that the pharmacy staff not charge the person bringing the prescription or advised a patient to listen to one of the works of Mohammad Reza Shajarian, a master of Iranian singing. Meanwhile, the Tabriz prosecutor has even questioned the reasons for this initial fame. He emphasized in an interview with Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, that "the authenticity of this prescription and whether someone was exempted from paying for medications due to this doctor's recommendation has not been proven in the investigations." According to the Tabriz prosecutor, "This prescription was essentially published by one of the acquaintances of this doctor in cyberspace, who also did not know the nature of the issue at the time of its publication." The Tabriz prosecutor stated that the doctor himself has confirmed that there was no discussion of sacrificial food at all, noting, "Other aspects of this case will be published in the coming days by the judiciary of this province."