“Bishkek maniac” found dead in pre-trial detention center

On February 7 this year, Qumarbek Abdirov, known as the “Bishkek maniac,” was found dead in Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, 24.kg reported.

According to the State Service for the Execution of Punishments, the body of the 41-year-old suspect was discovered in his cell at around 12:30 p.m. on February 7. Preliminary information suggests that he may have died by suicide. A pre-investigation inquiry has been launched.

Abdirov had been arrested in September 2025 on charges of raping and murdering 17-year-old Oysuluv Mukasheva. The crime sparked widespread public debate in Kyrgyzstan.

During the investigation, Abdirov confessed to raping and killing several women. He worked as a taxi driver and was found to have killed his victims mainly on the outskirts of the city and in mountainous areas.

According to available information, Abdirov had previously been sentenced in 2016 to 12 years in prison for attempted murder. His sentence was later reduced to seven years, and he was released early in 2018.

Following the murder of Oysuluv Mukasheva, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov proposed restoring the death penalty for such grave crimes. However, in December 2025, the Constitutional Court ruled that reinstating the death penalty would contradict the Constitution and the country’s international obligations.

In connection with the case, three former judges of the Bishkek City Court and one prosecutor linked to Abdirov’s early release were also arrested.

It is worth noting that earlier reports said a 70-year-old man from the Bazar-Korgon district of Jalal-Abad region in Kyrgyzstan had been arrested on suspicion of raping his 14-year-old granddaughter.

Jamshidbek Amirov