Delhi Considers Moving Gangsters Out of Rohini and Other Jails
The Delhi government is considering transferring hardened gangsters and high-risk undertrial prisoners lodged in Rohini, Tihar, and Mandoli prisons to correctional facilities in other States, following growing security concerns over organised crime syndicates operating from behind bars. The proposed measure is being evaluated under the Transfer of Prisoners (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2025.
The policy change aims to permit the transfer of undertrials to out-of-state jails alongside convicted prisoners. Authorities believe that moving gang leaders away from their regional support networks will make it significantly harder for them to coordinate criminal operations, threaten witnesses and rivals, or interfere with ongoing court trials.
Prisons across the capital have faced intense scrutiny after a series of security breaches and corruption cases. Three months after an April 6 clash left a 22-year-old murder accused critically injured in Mandoli jail, the Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch arrested 11 people, including seven prison officials, over an alleged extortion and bribery racket spanning the Rohini, Tihar, and Mandoli complexes.
The city's three main jail facilities currently house several prominent gang figures and rival factions. Members linked to the competing Gogi and Tillu gangs have been lodged across Rohini, Tihar, and Mandoli prisons since 2021. Meanwhile, gangsters including Neeraj Bawana and Chhota Rajan have been in Tihar since 2015, Hashim Baba since 2019, and Anmol Bishnoi has been held in high-security custody there since November 2025. Officials have previously cited the case of Lawrence Bishnoi, who was shifted from Tihar and Mandoli to Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat, as a precedent for moving undertrials between states.
Former prison administrators highlighted the challenges within the existing system. Sunil Kumar Gupta, a former superintendent, legal adviser, and spokesperson of Central Jail in Tihar, said gang members regularly recruit vulnerable inmates through financial assistance, help with court cases, or basic provisions, later deploying them to smuggle contraband or execute crimes. While Mr. Gupta noted that out-of-state transfers could help disrupt these syndicates, he cautioned that influential prisoners might try to manipulate the process.
Former Inspector General of Delhi Prisons Kiran Bedi emphasised that systemic opacity and delays in penalising corrupt officials weaken institutional deterrence. Prison officials also noted persistent operational challenges, including staff shortages, inadequate specialised training, and inmates circumventing mobile phone jammers, underscoring that broader reforms in surveillance and screening equipment remain essential alongside inter-state transfers.
