Hassan Orangi was born in 1925 in the small rural village of Esmailabad, Iran, into a poor family with multiple siblings. Little is known about his childhood beyond the fact that he befriended a boy named Abbas Ali Zarifian, who was nearly a decade older. Their bond grew strong, and they would go on to become lifelong partners in both petty crime and, later, serial murder.

During his adulthood, Orangi joined the Iranian Army but went AWOL for reasons not recorded in public documents. He eventually settled in Mashhad, where he reunited with Zarifian and began a dark descent into violence. The pair initially made money by beating, threatening, and extorting vulnerable women, including many prostitutes and destitute women with nowhere else to turn.

Over time, Orangi’s motives escalated beyond profit. He began to exhibit signs of sadism, power-lust, and narcissism, often seeking out victims not just to dominate them but to make a name for himself. Witnesses later claimed that he sometimes sang to his victims before killing them, which earned him the chilling nickname: “The Singing Killer.”

By 1951, he had become addicted to opium, frequented red-light districts, and had turned his violent impulses into a full-blown killing spree.

Orangi’s known murder spree began in 1945, when he and his accomplice Abbas Ali Zarifian began targeting vulnerable women and sex workers throughout Mashhad. Their method was both personal and brutal. They would lure women to secluded areas, rape them, and then strangle them using a scarf or handkerchief. Their victims’ bodies were later dumped in fields, near factories, in alleys, and on the outskirts of residential areas.

Locations where bodies were discovered include:

• Hossein Abad
• Balakhiyaban
• Mohammad Abad Fields
• Behind Koh Sangi
• Old Tehran Road
• Abkoh Sugar Factory
• Near oil depots, factories, and artillery areas

The killings became infamous across the region, leading to public fear, superstition, and media hysteria. Some speculated that Orangi had been possessed by the spirit of Asghar the Murderer, a legendary Iranian killer from decades earlier.

In early 1951, Mashhad police wrongfully arrested Qurban Sidi, who falsely confessed under torture. However, medical examiner reports revealed inconsistencies, and Qurban was ultimately declared mentally ill and released.

The final breakthrough came on March 27, 1951, when a letter was sent to Col. Mohammad Khatami, the Police Chief. A local butcher had discovered a female corpse near the Abkoh Sugar Factory. This woman was identified as Bibi Noghani, a 26-year-old divorcee known for having multiple relationships. Her murder reignited police efforts to catch the killer.

During their investigation, police identified Hassan Orangi as a suspicious figure: a known woman-beater, fugitive army deserter, and drug addict. A woman named Goltaban came forward, saying Orangi had tried to rape and strangle her, but she had survived after being saved by passers-by.

On April 7, 1951, detectives disguised as civilians raided an opium den in Zabliha, where they arrested Orangi while he tried to hide in the dark.

At first, Orangi denied knowing Noghani, but broke under pressure when multiple women confirmed seeing him with her before the murder. He then tried to shift the blame to Zarifian, who was arrested the next day. Under questioning, Zarifian confessed to helping kill multiple women but claimed Orangi was the mastermind.

Detectives eventually got Orangi to write out his confession — under the condition that he be allowed to recite poetry, smoke opium, and write in his own words. The written confession was consistent with Zarifian’s, and police confirmed Orangi was responsible for 62 murders.

Orangi claimed moral justification for the murders, saying he wanted to rid the world of corrupt women, while also seeking fame. His actions and persona were so grotesque that the public gave him the nickname “The Singing Killer.”

At trial in 1951, Orangi was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death by hanging. Zarifian received 15 years in prison as an accomplice.

On the morning of December 2, 1951, Orangi wept, begged to see his aunt and younger brother, and handed over a written will, urging his brother to avoid his path and to bury him at the highest point in Mashhad. He was then publicly hanged in the town square before a large crowd.

Zarifian was later released after completing his sentence and disappeared, never to be heard from again.