(Web Desk) - Iranian police have apprehended the ‘main killer’ responsible for the murder of acclaimed director Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar.
They were stabbed to death over the weekend at their home in Karaj, a city in Alborz province west of Tehran.
The 83-year-old filmmaker, known for his association with the Iranian new wave of cinema, and his wife, a 54-year-old screenwriter, fell victim to this heinous crime.
Preliminary investigations have led to the identification and confirmation of the main perpetrator, and ongoing interrogations aim to uncover any potential accomplices and hidden aspects of the murder.
The chief justice of Alborz province, Hossein Fazeli-Harikandi, indicated that investigations have pointed to ‘personal differences’ as the motive behind this tragic event.
In honor of the late Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, a significant number of mourners gathered at their funeral, including notable figures from Iran’s film industry like directors Jafar Panahi and Massoud Kimiai.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has explicitly dismissed any potential connection between Mehrjui’s murder and the serial assassinations of dissident intellectuals in November 1998, which were attributed to the country’s secret service. The 1998 crimes were attributed to ‘uncontrolled elements’ within the intelligence ministry, resulting in significant prison sentences.
Dariush Mehrjui, renowned for films like ‘The Cow’ in 1969 and the dark comedy ‘Hamoun’ in 1990, was laid to rest alongside his wife in the artists’ section of Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.