Gangster dies after being stabbed 8 times inside Tihar’s high-security cell

Prince Teotia was attacked with improvised knives made by sharpening spoons and sides of aluminium plates, a prison official said.

A security person stands guard at Tihar Jail | Credit: ANI Photo

New Delhi: An inmate named Prince Teotia, lodged inside a high-security cell at Tihar’s Jail Number 3, was allegedly stabbed to death by members of a rival gang during a fight that broke out Friday evening, prison officials said.

Teotia was allegedly stabbed eight times with improvised knives made by sharpening spoons and sides of aluminium plates, a prison official told ThePrint, adding that a probe had been launched into the major lapse in security.

While Teotia, accused of several gang-related activities, succumbed to his injuries, several other inmates were injured, the official said, asking not to be named.

Teotia was said to be an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and was involved in at least 16 cases, including those of murder, kidnapping and extortion.

“A fight broke out between two groups around 5pm in Jail Number 3,” the official said. “First, the groups had a scuffle and after exchanging a few blows, they took out these improvised knives and attacked Teotia and his associates,” the official added.

According to another jail official, security guards intervened and rushed the injured to a hospital.

Following the incident, the jail has been put on high alert. A magisterial inquiry has been initiated, the official said. An FIR of murder has also been registered at the Hari Nagar police station.

Who is Teotia?

Teotia, who was earlier an associate of Delhi’s Rohit Chaudhary gang, has been involved in several cases of murder, betting, robbery and extortion.

After he had a fallout with the Chaudhary gang, he was arrested by the Special Cell in October 2019. But months later, he was released on parole by the Delhi High Court on the pretext of getting married. He jumped parole and formed his own gang in South Delhi, the officials said.

It was a few months ago that Teotia joined hands with the Bishnoi syndicate and started working with them. Teotia, the officials said, was also in touch with men in Punjab from where he procured weapons.

“Inside the jail, Teotia was recruiting new gang members to join him. He also joined hands with the Nandu gang to take revenge from the Chaudhary gang,” the second official said..

Among the cases against him were those of robbing SUVs at gunpoint and murder for ransom, the officials said.

“When the crime branch arrested him from Najafgarh in December last year, nine weapons including four automatic pistols, five country-made pistols and 31 rounds of bullets were also recovered from him,” the official said.