Penguin When It All Began The Untold Stories Of The Underworld By Rakesh Maria 1 Pc

In the 1980s, the streets of Dongri, Pydhonie, Nagpada, Agripada and Byculla witnessed some of the bloodiest gang wars and reigns of terror India had ever seen. These neighbourhoods became battlegrounds of crime. But when did it all begin? Tracing it back to the 1930s, Abdul Karim Sher Khan Pathan, aka Karim Lala, considered one of the first feared dons of Bombay, arrived in the city. He soon mastered the tricks of the trade with the Pathan lords Babul Khan and Jumma Khan, gradually establishing his dominance. As the Pathans grew in power, resentment against them simmered among other groups. Petty criminals from the city’s streets and markets began to evolve into dadas and bhais, forming gangs of their own. This gave rise to the first generation of dons, figures including Karim Lala, Haji Mastan and Dilip Aziz, who built empires through smuggling, extortion and other rackets. Over time, these groups diversified, regrouped and expanded into larger syndicates of organised crime. But the next generation of gangsters were ruthless. Power struggles turned volatile, and many began to pose serious threats to one another. Dawood Ibrahim and his allies also emerged during this time. What followed was an era of bloody rivalries, with gangsters eliminating their rivals with impunity and openly defying the police. Rakesh Maria, the veteran Indian Police Service officer who led some of India’s most high-profile investigations, reflects on this tumultuous history in his extraordinary book, When It All Began. Replete with rare information, landmark cases and the full arc of gang wars at every turn, the account captures the rise and fall of Bombay’s underworld like never before. With its authoritative voice and insider’s perspective, this book will grip you to the very end.

No reviews yet. Be the first to share feedback once this product ships.