'Wife ran away with money, then sued me for dowry': Former hangman Shahjahan seeks PM's support

After spending over four decades in jail as a hangman, Shahjahan Bhuiyan was all set for a fresh start. 

Luck was apparently on his side as well. Within a few months of getting released, he met a woman with whom he got into a relationship, later married last December.

About two months into the marriage, his fresh start for a family ended up becoming a nightmare after his wife ran away with more than Tk7 lakh, and filed a case against him under the Dowry Prohibition Act on 15 February, Shahjahan claimed in a press conference today (1 April).

He has alleged that his wife is a member of a fraud gang that he fell victim to. 

He further alleged that his wife and the gang embezzled lakhs of taka from him.

In the press conference, he sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's help in the matter. 

'A scam all along'

Hailing from Narsingdi, hangman Shahjahan was sentenced to 143 years in jail in 36 cases. He was arrested in 1979. Working as a hangman, he was able to get a reduced sentence. Last year on 28 June, Shahjahan was released from jail.

The former hangman started a new life as the owner of a tea-stall in Golam Bazar of Keraniganj.

Speaking about how he met his wife, Shahjahan said, "One day while travelling from Kadamtali of Keraniganj in an autorickshaw, I found a vanity bag. After searching through it, I found a phone number in the documents inside.

He went on, "I called the number. A Sathi Akter Fatema picked up. I asked her to pick up her bag from me. She later showed up with her mother. I started talking to Fatema on the phone. At one point, they shifted to Golam Bazar [near his home]. Her mother started working as a cook in my house."

Then he raised allegations against Fatema, now his wife and his mother-in-law claiming they're both part of a fraud gang comprising some men and women. 

"Some of the members were witnesses to my marriage. And now, they are witnesses in the case filed against me," Shahjahan alleged.

Five months after their first meeting, Shahjahan and Fatema got married on 21 December with a dowry agreement of Tk5 lakh.

He said, "Before we got married, they took Tk1.5 lakh from me by tricking me. On the day of the wedding, they made me sign and took another Tk10 lakh I had saved.

"Then, on the 53rd day of our marriage, my wife ran away with Tk7 lakh in cash along with gold ornaments. When I went to the police station to file a complaint about this, they refused to take the case. I came to know that on 15 February, Sathi Akhtar Fatema filed a case against me with a Dhaka court."

Caught between a rock and a hard place

Mentioning that he executed various criminals, including war criminals and Bangabandhu's murderers in jail, Shahajan called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to help him out.

"As a reward for my duties, please provide me with a house and a simple job so that I can survive till the end of my life," he said, addressing the premier.

"I am now caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, my financial state is unstable. On the other hand, a woman ran away with the last of my savings and has been harassing me with dowry cases," he added. 

Shahjahan has now filed a case with a Dhaka court against six people, including his wife and mother-in-law Shahinur Begum, over fraudulence.

He also demanded punishment against the gang involved with the incident.

On Sunday (31 March), Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Dhaka AKM Rokibul Ahsan directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the allegations and submit a report on 27 June.

The other accused in the case are Deen Islam, Azida Begum, Russell and Bablu – relatives of Shahjahan's in-laws.