Tabriz Prosecutor: The Death of a Doctor's Family Was Not Due to Ritual Food

Following conflicting reports regarding Alireza Solhi, a Tabriz doctor, being involved in the murder of his wife and grandmother, the Tabriz prosecutor announced that the restaurant and the method of purchasing the food that led to the deaths of these two individuals have been identified. According to the official news agency of the judiciary, Mizan, prosecutor Mousa Khalilolahi stated on Tuesday, November 1, that this doctor has 'confirmed' that his family members did not die from consuming ritual food. He emphasized that the food was purchased from one of the restaurants in Tabriz, and the method of purchasing the food was clarified through reviewing recorded footage from cameras at the location. The Tabriz prosecutor promised that 'other aspects' of this case would be published in the coming days. Referring to the forensic report, he announced that the cause of death for these individuals was poisoning with the pesticide 'phostoxin' (rice tablet). The wife, mother, father, brother, and grandmother of this Tabriz doctor experienced shortness of breath after consuming the food on October 9, and ultimately, his wife and grandmother lost their lives after being transferred to the hospital. Previously, some officials had confirmed reports regarding the deaths of the doctor's wife and grandmother due to consuming 'suspicious ritual food.' However, some websites reported that based on judicial officials' statements, it has been determined that this individual purchased the food from a restaurant and is in custody on charges of murdering his family. Meanwhile, Ahmad Alireza Beigi, a representative from Tabriz in Parliament, stated on Sunday that according to 'judicial officials' reports, Mr. Solhi 'was the designer of their poisoning.' However, news agencies ISNA and ILNA reported, citing 'a person close to the family' of Alireza Solhi, that the reports about this Tabriz doctor confessing to the murder of his wife and grandmother are not accurate. Alireza Solhi is a Tabriz doctor who has gained fame on social media in recent years due to prescriptions attributed to him, which requested pharmacies not to charge needy individuals for medications and prescribed music by Mohammad Reza Shajarian for treating illnesses. However, the Tabriz prosecutor stated on Tuesday that the accuracy of reports regarding the prescription released by this doctor, which advised pharmacies not to charge patients for medications, 'has not been proven.' He added, 'Essentially, this prescription was published by an acquaintance of this doctor in cyberspace, who was also unaware of the nature of the subject at the time of its publication.' According to Mr. Khalilolahi, this doctor worked at a health house that had been privatized by Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.