Tehran, 23 July (AKI) - A total 125 people have been arrested in the northeast Iranian city of Mashhad, one of the holiest Shiite shrines. according to police.

The 67 men and 58 women were arrested for committing 'sex crimes', a spokesman for Mashhad police said without elaborating.

Many thousands of Shiite pilgrims head to Mashhad each year to visit the Imam Reza's mausoleum.

Shiite Muslims believe that Imam Reza was the eighth successor to the Prophet Mohammad. Reza was allegedly poisoned in 818 while travelling through Mashhad.