Radan's Claim of 'Feeling Safe' Questioned; Identification and Arrest of 'Violent Thieves' Gang

On Tuesday, January 2, the Jam-e Jam newspaper, the press organ of the state broadcaster, announced the news of the 'destruction of a large armed robbery and assault network in Tehran,' stating that the discovery of this network was made accidentally by one of the 'victim women.' The newspaper acknowledged that the police had no role in identifying this group, writing: 'The police had been aware of the robberies and assaults by this group since early September, but had not identified them until last week.' Meanwhile, Ahmadreza Radan, the police chief of Iran, claimed on Tuesday, January 2, that 'day by day, the feeling of safety in Greater Tehran is increasing,' and that his forces have undertaken 'effective' measures in this regard, including the procurement of a thousand motorcycles that can bring police units to their targets more quickly. According to Jam-e Jam, this network had six members who armed themselves and broke into homes, assaulting women in front of their husbands during these robberies. The report states that the police had been unsuccessful for at least five months in identifying and arresting the members of this 'violent thieves' group until finally, in the last days of the first week of January, one of the female complainants, who was walking with her husband in a park in southern Tehran, identified a man resembling one of the thieves. The woman and her husband attacked the thief, beat him, and prevented his escape from the park, after which the police were able to identify and arrest other members of the network. This news and the police's delay or inability to identify and arrest this group of violent thieves received widespread attention among Iranians and social media users. One user reacted to this incident by writing: 'In a government that installs cameras for girls in the metro, murderers must be identified by the victims themselves.' Another user wrote: 'The intelligence department has become a place for the most incompetent police; they are only strong and clever in films and series, but in reality, the priority for men is the hijab.' Ahmadreza Radan had also claimed in July of this year that smart systems were being used to identify and arrest criminals, robbers, and to summon cases of hijab violations and improper dress. Before him, several members of parliament had emphasized the use of artificial intelligence technology to identify citizens who do not comply with mandatory dress codes. Dr. Sahar Matlabi: Healthcare staff feel that they are not financially supported and do not have personal safety. Ahmadreza Radan announced an increase in the motor fleet of the 'strike police.' The government media criticized comparisons to 'serial killings'; ambiguity continues in the case of the murders of Mehrjouyi and Mohammadi. Users reacted to the 'horrific' murder of Dariush Mehrjouyi and his wife, recalling the 'serial killings' of the 1990s. Two people in Isfahan were executed in public for the alleged 'murder of an officer.' A 'one-hour movement restriction' was imposed on girls in the dormitory of the Teacher Training University in Tabriz.