JAIPUR: Notorious dacoit Jagan Gurjar was found dead inside the Ajmer High Security Jail in Rajasthan on Monday.
Jagan, a resident of Bhavtipura village in Dholpur’s Dang region, was among the most dreaded dacoits of the Chambal belt.
He had over 100 criminal cases registered against him across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh for crimes including murder, dacoity, extortion, and kidnapping.
According to officials, Gurjar had been lodged in the high-security jail since March this year and was sharing a cell with undertrial prisoner Vishnu.
The incident is believed to have taken place between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, when both inmates were locked inside the barrack as part of routine procedure.
Ajmer Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agrawal said Gurjar was allegedly strangled with a towel (gamcha). He said preliminary investigation suggests a sudden altercation between the two inmates, while the exact motive is still under investigation.
The SP ruled out any gang rivalry angle at this stage, adding that no evidence of inter-gang conflict has surfaced so far.
He also confirmed that no third inmate was present in the cell during the incident. Initial examination indicated no external injury marks on the body, pointing towards death by strangulation.
High Security Jail Superintendent Parasmal Jangid said jail staff discovered Gurjar unresponsive during a routine inspection around 3:00 pm. He said both inmates had been locked together since morning and were even seen playing Ludo before the incident, indicating no prior visible dispute. During questioning, Vishnu allegedly confessed to the killing, stating, “I killed him.”
Vishnu, an undertrial lodged in the jail for the past three years, is an accused in the Kuldeep murder case in Bharatpur and is currently being interrogated.
Following the incident, senior police officials and a judicial magistrate reached the jail. A judicial inquiry has been initiated, and a medical board has been constituted for the post-mortem. Gurjar’s family has been informed.
He indulged in criminal activities from 1994 after allegedly killing his brother-in-law. He later formed a gang with his wife and relatives.
Jagan first came into the national spotlight during the 2008 Gurjar reservation agitation, when he allegedly threatened to blow up the Dholpur palace of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. He was among the most wanted dacoits in the region at that time.
Over the years, he surrendered multiple times before law enforcement agencies, first in 2001 before then Dholpur SP Biju George Joseph, again in 2009 during a public event in the presence of Congress leader Sachin Pilot, later in 2018 before IG Malini Agarwal in Bayana, and most recently in 2022 before Karauli police.
Police are continuing the investigation into the exact circumstances of his death inside the high-security prison.
