Bishnoi ‘aide’ killed in Tihar Jail brawl

NEW DELHI: In a suspect gang war inside Tihar Jail complex in west Delhi, 30-year-old jailed gangster, Prince Tewatia, was killed and at least three other inmates were injured after two groups clashed and attacked each other with sharp objects at jail number 3 on Friday evening, jail officials said, and added that the injured inmates were admitted to a government hospital.

One of the groups was led by Attaur Rehman alias Atwa,26, who is suspected to have attacked Tewatia, with a sharp weapon, which he may have prepared using a metallic object inside the jail, said police officers, aware of the violence inside one of the largest prison complexes in the world (according to Tihar Prisons website).

Though there is no official record, Tewatia used to claim association with Lawrence Bishnoi -- the gangster who is the prime suspect in the murder of Punjab Congress leader Sidhu

Moosewala. The exact sequence of events leading to the clash could not be ascertained till late Friday. Originally from Loni in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Tewatia was involved in at least 16 serious crimes, including two murders and extortion. He was last arrested in November 2022 by the crime branch of Delhi Police.

Police officers said Rehman and Tewatia were friends and had emerged from the same gang that was once led Shakti Naidu. The officers said they were investigating the reasons behind and the clash. They added that Rehman could possibly be acting at the behest of Tewatia’s friend-turned-foe, Rohit Chaudhary, a gangster from south Delhi who is also lodged in Tihar jail. “We have learnt that Tewatia had been planning to kill Chaudhary, and had sought help from Lawrence Bishnoi. When Chaudhary learnt about it, he got a close aid of Tewatia killed,” said a Delhi Police Special Cell officer, who asked not to be named.