3 min readJaipurJun 30, 2026 09:15 AM IST
First published on: Jun 30, 2026 at 02:11 AM IST
Notorious dacoit Jagan Gurjar, who had over a 100 police cases against him, was allegedly murdered by his cellmate in a high-security prison in Rajasthan’s Ajmer on Monday, police said.
Ajmer SP Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla said, “Prima facie, what has come to light so far is that Jagan Gurjar was killed by a jail inmate using a gamcha (traditional cotton towel) to strangle him by his neck.” He said initial indications — before the postmortem and further investigation — are that there were no other marks or injuries on his body other than the strangulation marks on his neck.
The accused was identified as Vishnu Jat, who was in jail in connection with the 2023 murder of another murder accused. The SP said there was no “gang war” angle to the murder as per initial information, and that it was likely the result of a “petty fight”.
So far, no direct involvement of a third person has been found, the officer said, adding that only Gurjar and Jat were in the cell at the time of the incident. It took place after they returned to the cell after having their morning meal, police said.
Jail superintendent Paras Jangid said Gurjar was killed sometime before 3 pm.
“Jagan (Gurjar) and Vishnu (Jat) were in the same barracks. They were together between 11 am and 3 pm. A recording from 11 am shows that they were cleaning together. But what happened between 11 am and 3 pm is part of the investigation. When the sentry went at 3 pm to unlock barracks for tea, Jagan did not get up… (and) it was found that Jagan was dead,” he said.
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Confession to jail officers
Vishnu Jat then confessed to jail officials, the jail superintendent said. “He said they had done some cleaning at around 11 am, and then they played Ludo, too. What happened afterwards will be clearer in the investigation,” he said. The SP said a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team visited the spot. Gurjar’s body has been kept in the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Ajmer. Jat has been in the Ajmer jail for around 3 years, officials said, and Gurjar was moved there in March 2026.
Mainly active in the Chambal region, Jagan Gurjar had several robbery, kidnapping and looting cases against him.
In 2008, in light of the Gujjar agitation, Jagan Gurjar was among the dacoits who had threatened to blow up then Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s palace in Dholpur.
However, in January 2009, he surrendered before then MP Sachin Pilot during the latter’s rally in Karauli. At the time, he was wanted in over 70 cases in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and carried a reward of Rs 11 lakh on his head. Surrendering, Jagan had bowed and touched Pilot’s feet, vowing to give up his life of crime if police treated him well and if there was a fair trial.
Vishnu Jat was among those arrested by Bharatpur police after Kuldeep Singh Jaghina, an accused in the 2022 murder of BJP leader Kripal Singh Jaghina, was shot dead inside a Rajasthan Roadways bus near Amoli toll plaza, Bharatpur, in July 2023.
Jagan Gurjar (sitting), held in 2022, was strangled with a ‘gamcha’. (File Photo) 
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