Jaipur: Notorious Chambal dacoit Jagan Gurjar was found dead inside Ajmer High Security Jail on Monday, officials said.
A resident of Bhavtipura village in Dholpur’s Dang region, Gurjar was considered one of the most feared bandits in the Chambal area. He faced more than 100 criminal cases across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, including charges of murder, dacoity, extortion and kidnapping, as reported by The New Indian Express.
According to jail officials, Gurjar had been held at the high-security facility since March and shared a cell with another undertrial, identified as Vishnu. The incident is believed to have occurred between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, a period when both prisoners were locked inside the barrack as part of the jail’s routine.
Ajmer Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agrawal said preliminary inquiries indicate Gurjar was allegedly strangled with a towel (gamcha). He told reporters that an abrupt quarrel between the two inmates appears to have led to the death, but the precise motive remains under investigation.
The SP said there is no evidence so far pointing to gang rivalry, adding that investigators have not found any sign of inter-gang conflict at this stage. He also confirmed that no third prisoner was present in the cell when the incident occurred. Initial examination of the body showed no external injuries, consistent with death by strangulation.
High Security Jail Superintendent Parasmal Jangid said jail staff found Gurjar unresponsive during a routine check at about 3:00 pm. He noted that both inmates had been confined together since the morning and were reportedly seen playing Ludo earlier, suggesting no visible dispute before the episode. During questioning, Vishnu allegedly confessed, saying, “I killed him.”
Vishnu, an undertrial lodged in the jail for about three years and an accused in the Kuldeep murder case in Bharatpur, is being interrogated, officials said.
Senior police officers and a judicial magistrate visited the jail after the discovery. A judicial inquiry has been ordered and a medical board constituted to carry out the post-mortem. Gurjar’s family has been informed of his death, officials added.
Police records show Gurjar’s alleged descent into crime began in 1994 after he was accused of killing his brother-in-law. He later organised a gang that included his wife and other relatives.
Gurjar first drew national attention during the 2008 Gurjar reservation agitation, when he was accused of threatening to blow up the Dholpur palace of then Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. He remained among the most wanted dacoits in the region at that time.
Over the years, officials say, he surrendered to law enforcement on multiple occasions — in 2001 before then Dholpur SP Biju George Joseph, in 2009 at a public event where Congress leader Sachin Pilot was present, again in 2018 before IG Malini Agarwal in Bayana, and most recently in 2022 before Karauli police.
Police said investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death inside the high-security prison are ongoing.
