Farzin Maqsoudlou

Farzin Maqsoudlou, a descendant of a wealthy family from Gorgan and associated with the Pahlavi regime, returned to Iran during the second government of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Despite having a letter of approval from Attaollah Mohajerani, the then parliamentary deputy, he was arrested upon arrival at the airport.

He was released after a week, but several government officials requested him to leave Iran. His insistence on reclaiming his family assets led to a power struggle between security agencies and influential clerics in Gorgan, including Kazem Nourmofidi. The security forces promised to return his assets in exchange for intelligence cooperation, while Kazem Nourmofidi offered proposals that would allow him to regain his properties.

Seeing the situation, Farzin attempted to leave the country but was again arrested at Mehrabad Airport. He was held for a month in a safe house in northern Tehran before being released and given 48 hours to leave Iran. Instead of leaving, he went to Gorgan, where he was murdered on the night of 22 October 1996 at his grandmother's house on Bahman Street in the Gorganpars neighbourhood. His niece, Shabnam Hosseini, who was with him by chance that night, was also killed. At the time of the murder, Farzin Maqsoudlou was 48 years old, and his niece was 21 years old.

During his journey from Tehran to Gorgan, Farzin recorded a tape detailing his experiences, which, along with other documents, was seized by security forces on the night of the murder. The lawyer for the victims' families stated that parts of this tape, related to the actions of Mostafa Kazemi during Farzin's detention in the safe house, were played in court. The lawyer described the contents as "shameful, inhuman, and shocking."

The Hamshahri newspaper, in its 12 February 2000 issue, linked the murders of these two individuals to Saeed Emami's group and the chain murders.