Shaken, she found her way to a nearby police station and reported the crime. What appeared to be a disturbing one-off incident would soon be recognized as part of a larger pattern.
A Disturbing Pattern Emerges
As detectives from the 16th Department began investigating, more complaints began surfacing. The story was eerily similar each time: a man on a green motorcycle would contact women seeking short-term domestic work through online platforms, lure them under false pretenses, then rob—and in some cases—abuse or intimidate them using a knife.
The victims shared common traits: most were women from lower-income backgrounds who advertised cleaning, caregiving, or babysitting services. They were job seekers trying to make an honest living, navigating the informal job market, often with no social protection. Many were single women or heads of households. The method of targeting them suggested calculated exploitation.
The suspect was not only stealing valuables but weaponizing trust, manipulating economic vulnerability, and creating a ripple of fear among women trying to find work in Tehran’s bustling yet precarious gig economy.
A Special Task Force is Formed
Given the nature of the offenses and their repeated occurrence, Tehran’s law enforcement took the case seriously. A special investigative unit was formed within the 16th Department, tasked with tracing the suspect and preventing further incidents.