Undertrial terror suspect killed by inmate in Faridabad high-security jail ward

Police suspect dispute after recent shift to shared ward led to attack; judicial inquiry ordered, CCTV under scan and FIR filed against co-accused inmate.

An undertrial terror attack suspect was bludgeoned to death in his sleep by a fellow inmate using a sharp piece of stone inside a high-security ward of Neemka district jail in Faridabad early Monday, police said. The incident occurred between 1.30am and 2am.

Victim linked to terror module and arrested last year; authorities say weapon recovered, family informed and autopsy scheduled as inquiry begins. (HT)

The deceased was identified as Abdul Rehman, 20, from Milkipur in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. He had been lodged in the ward with two other inmates — Arun Chaudhary, alias Abbu Jatt, 24, of RS Pura, and Mohammad Shoiab, 23, of Sophia, both in Jammu and Kashmir — about 15 days ago. Previously, all three, facing trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were kept in separate wards.

Police said Chaudhary, accused in eight heinous criminal cases including murder, attacked Rehman while he and Shoiab were asleep. Investigators stated a joint team of Gujarat ATS, Haryana STF, and the Intelligence Bureau arrested Rehman from Pali in Faridabad on March 2, 2025, on input that he was planning a terror attack on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Two military-grade hand grenades and detonators were recovered, and several videos with temple details were found on his phone.

Ashok Kumar, assistant commissioner of police, Tigaon, said Chaudhary inflicted severe head injuries on Rehman. “Hearing commotion, Shoiab got up and raised an alarm, after which prison authorities rushed inside the ward and immediately provided medical help to Rehman, but he died on the spot,” he said. Police officials said Rehman and Chaudhary had a heated argument shortly after they were shifted together to the high-security ward a fortnight ago, which is suspected to have led to the murder.

The victim was a member of an Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) module headed by Maulana Abdul Rehman of Odisha, an alleged former associate of an IC-814 hijacker, police said. Investigators said the module was also linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative Salim, who was allegedly planning an attack on the Ram Mandir and was killed along with two associates in an encounter in Lucknow in April 2021, they added.

STF officials said the deceased inmate had earlier posted provocative videos on TikTok and later on Instagram, which had drawn the attention of intelligence agencies.

On the complaint of prison authorities, an FIR under section 103(1) (murder) was registered against Chaudhary at Sadar Ballabgarh police station, and a judicial inquiry has been launched, the ACP said. “Rehman’s family has been alerted, and they are on the way to Faridabad from Faizabad, UP. His body has been preserved at the government mortuary, where an autopsy will be carried out on Tuesday,” he added.

Investigators said a sharp piece of stone used in the attack was recovered, and CCTV footage is being scanned to determine how it was brought inside the high-security area. Police said all criminal cases against Chaudhary are in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and he was shifted to Faridabad jail from Kathua in October 2024. Shoiab, also accused in a terror case in J&K, was shifted to Faridabad over security reasons.

Officers added that Chaudhary and three associates had shot dead Akshay Sharma in Gudwal Ramgarh on December 25, 2023. A Jammu and Kashmir police team raided a hotel in Amritsar in January 2024 and arrested Chaudhary and his associates after an exchange of fire in which a constable was injured, leading to an attempted murder case against him.