The accused, Zakir, was recently shifted to jail 8 from jail 5 (File)

New Delhi:

A prisoner in Delhi’s Tihar jail stabbed another inmate to death allegedly to avenge the rape of his sister six years ago, police said on Tuesday.

On Monday, 21-year-old Zakir stabbed Mohammad Mehtab (27), a resident of Nizamuddin, inside Tihar jail number 8/9.

Mehtab was stabbed multiple times, including on his stomach and neck, by a sharp metal object by Zakir at around 6 am, police said.

Zakir, a resident of Delhi’s Dakshinpuri, was recently shifted to jail 8 from jail 5.

The wounds on Mehtab’s neck were deep and he was given first-aid in the jail dispensary. He was then taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

“During investigation, it was found that Mehtab was an accused in the rape case of Zakir’s minor sister in 2014. The girl reportedly died by suicide later,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Deepak Purohit said.

Zakir was recently transferred to ward number 4 of jail number 8. Mehatab was already lodged in same ward on the first floor, police said.

This transfer was done on the request of the accused as he had a fight with other inmates in his previous ward. He looking for an opportunity to take revenge from Mehtab, they said.

When other inmates came out for morning prayers on Monday at around 6 am, the accused went upstairs and stabbed Mehtab with a knife-like object, the Deputy Commissioner of Police said.

A murder case has been registered at Delhi’s Hari Nagar police station against Zakir.

Mehtab was an accused in a rape case in Ambedkar Nagar in 2014 and has been in jail since then. Zakir, a murder accused, has been in jail since 2018.