Iran serial killer claims 15th victim

Authorities in northeast Iran have found the body of a woman wrapped in a black cloth, the latest victim of an apparent serial killer stalking the holy city of Mashad, the official IRNA news agency said yesterday.

The latest find brought to 15 the killer's known victims since last July when the string of murders began. The body of the 26-year-old woman, who had been strangled with her own headscarf, was found late on Sunday, IRNA said.

The 14 other dead women, aged between 27 and 50, had had drugs or prostitution convictions. Police have said there was no sign of sexual abuse on the bodies of the women and suspect a religious motive.

Mashad is home to the tomb of Reza, the eighth Shi'ite Imam, making it one of Iran's most holy sites and top pilgrim destinations. Police are investigating a possible link with the murders of a number of women who ran brothels and were killed in the same way in the nearby town of Bojnourd two years ago.

gulf-news.com