Middle East - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 7:35 - 0 Comments

Anti-vice chief caught working “undercover” in brothel

Teheran’s police chief, who was reportedly discovered in a brothel, has been arrested.

It was reported that General Reza Zarei was found with six naked women in a house of prostitution in the Iranian capital last month.

He has been taken to jail while his case is investigated, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary said. Zarei was responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict anti-vice laws, which include a ban on prostitution.

While State media has recently reported that Gen Zarei has been replaced as police chief in Tehran, there has been no explanation of why.

We are surmising that he was working undercover.

Sex taboo

Iran has tough punishments for unmarried couples who have sex or behave in a manner considered immoral. Young people have been jailed or flogged for dancing together at house parties.

The public dress code can be tightly enforced, with women barred from showing their hair or wearing make up or colorful clothes and men from wearing their hair long.