Bangladesh's deadliest executioner, who hanged most notorious serial killers, dies

Bangladesh's deadliest executioner, who hanged some of the country's notorious criminals including serial killers as well as politicians, died on Monday (June 24), a year after he was released from jail.

Shahjahan Bouya was released from prison in June 2023 after which he wrote a book detailing his experiences as a hangman which emerged as a top seller.

The 74-year-old also briefly married a girl who was 50 years younger to him, and in recent weeks became a viral sensation on TikTok after he uploaded short videos with teenage girls.

According to police, he complained of chest pain on Monday morning and was immediately rushed to Dhaka's Suhrawardy Hospital.

Upon reaching the hospital, the doctors declared Bouya dead, said the police station chief in Dhaka.

"He was brought in dead -- doctors haven't ascertained the actual cause of his death," Sajib Dey, a police station chief in Dhaka, told news agency AFP.

"He had breathing difficulties," Abul Kashem, Bouya's landlord, told AFP. "He rented one of our rooms only 15 days ago. He lived alone".

Bouya was serving a 42-year jail term over a murder.

However, the hangings he did in the prison led to his early release from Dhaka's top jail in 2023.

As per the prison authorities, Bouya held a total of 26 executions, however, he said that he participated in 60.

The ones who died at his hand included military officers who were found guilty of plotting a coup in the year 1975 and killing the country's founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's father.

He launched his book in February, detailing his years as a hangman that immediately garnered people's attention and became a bestseller at Bangladesh's largest annual book fair.

His 96-page book narrated the procedure of hanging by ropes that the country adopted from the British colonial rulers.

(With inputs from agencies)