In seven years in Tihar, convicts earned ₹1.30 lakh

During the seven years of their incarceration at Tihar Jail, the men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on December 16, 2012, collectively

During the seven years of their incarceration at Tihar Jail, the men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on December 16, 2012, collectively earned around ₹1.30 lakh through different jobs. Of the four convicts—Mukesh Singh, 32, Vinay Sharma, 26, Pawan Gupta, 25, and Akshay Thakur, 31—only Mukesh refused to take up any work inside the jail.

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Prison officers said that the other three took up different jobs in the tailoring unit, the jail’s canteen or the different factories inside prison and collectively earned around ₹1.30 lakh. A prison spokesperson said that among the three, Akshay had earned the most. “Akshay earned ₹60,000 in these seven years. The other two made less money. Our records show that Mukesh did not work a single day in prison. His older brother Ram Singh, who killed himself within months of being jailed, also did not work,” said the spokesperson.

Prison officers said they would check the balance in the three convicts’ accounts, after which the money would be handed to the family members.

In Tihar, prisoners are assigned jobs in different factories inside the jail. There are at least 36 factories inside the jail spread across 400 acres of the compound that make perfumes, cakes, biscuits, LED bulbs, pickles, furniture, blankets, designer clothes, and even power looms. Prisoners are engaged in different units and are paid daily wages. For a day’s work, a skilled worker—a prisoner who is an expert at their job—makes ₹321. The prisoner could be a baker or a perfume-maker, who, apart from working, can also train fellow prisoners. A semi-skilled worker gets ₹200, while a trainee makes ₹180 a day.

The four convicts were lodged in different jails inside Tihar and at Mandoli during the last seven years. Jail officers said that Vinay, who worked as a gym instructor before his arrest, had completed his graduation via distant learning while behind bars.

The sixth convict in the case, who was a minor at the time of the incident, was let off after serving three years at a correctional home. He was released after he completed his term in December 2015. He worked as a cook at a roadside eatery in south India and then worked at a prominent restaurant.