The most famous died at the age of 70 executioner in Bangladesh, who became its author and star TikTok the last months of his life.

THE Shahjahan Buia – known as “Jollad Shahjahan” – was sentenced to 42 years in prison for killing a trucker in 1979 during a shootout with police. Before he was even sentenced, while still on remand, he observed that the prisoners who took it upon themselves to lead death row inmates to the gallows enjoyed “royal” treatment in prison.

So he volunteered to be an executioner. Each time he led a death row inmate to the gallows, one was prepared for him rich meal (usually chicken and beef pilaf), while a few months were deducted from his sentence.

He claimed that – in the 32 years he spent in the Dhaka Central Jail – he had hanged 60 death row inmates, of whom he said at least three were innocent.

For their part, Bangladeshi prison authorities have recorded 26 executions on his record, including those of military personnel responsible for the 1975 coup that claimed the life of Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s independence leader and father of current Prime Minister Hasina.

Shahjahan Bhuya was released from prison last year and released his autobiography, which became a sensation in Bangladesh. In it, he detailed the final moments of some of the country’s most famous death row inmates, without taking a stand for or against the death penalty.

He also managed to marry a woman 50 years his junior, while causing a sensation with his TikTok videos.

According to the police, on Monday morning Bouya felt acute chest pain while at his home in a suburb of the capital Dhaka, and died before being taken to a hospital.

At the end of 2023, more than 2,400 death row inmates were awaiting execution in Bangladesh and five had been hanged, according to Amnesty International. In the course of the past year, the country’s courts sentenced 248 people to death row – the third highest number of death sentences in the world.