A former lawmaker from Henan province was executed by the local intermediate court Thursday afternoon, chinanews.com.cn reported Thursday.

Sixty-two-year-old Wu Tianxi was sentenced to death for raping 24 underage girls in less than two years.

Wu, a delegate of the National People's Congress in 1998, ordered three women to kidnap the girls, aged from 12 to 16, and take them to his office or hotels, where he raped them.

He was reportedly worried about his declining wealth and took a rumor seriously that sexual intercourse with virgin girls would bring him good health and fortune, which prompted him to find 100 virgins.

Before his execution, Wu told his relatives and friends through judges to learn from his lesson and abide by laws, chinanews.com.cn said.

(China Daily?August 14, 2009)