He shared with me his vast knowledge, his canny experience, and his host of contacts

Imbued with dread

I set out to find out why so many muslim youth from Mumbai were drawn to crime. Was
it the aura of dawood Ibrahim or was it economic compulsion that drew them?
Even before the cops could take a breather, there was another incident, but this time,
they showed amazing alacrity.
Others from that area joined the fray when they realized that it was a chance to make
easy money and very little chance of being caught.
Dongri gained notoriety with Dawood Ibrahim, nobody took Dongri to Dubai like he did.
Dawood and Chota Rajan were baying for each others blood and in the intermediate
period were busy bumping off each others associates in broad daylight.
Chota Rajan had broken off with Dawood Ibrahim and anointed himself as hindu don
Zaidi saab, because I respect you, I pardon such an irrelevant line or questioning.
During the several conversations I had with him, I found him to be an intelligent, witty,
and softspoken person. He displayed a cool, baseline temperament that did not spike at
any point during conversation. He showed no trace of arrogance or power as a don.
Dawood did not like any kind of aspersion to be cast against himself.
Dawood lives his life king size. His dapper suits are from savile row, London. When he is
on a move a cordon of Pak rangers escort him, putting the security of the Pakistani
president to shame.
All the wealth in the world cannot give you a good nights sleep. Dawood is an
insomniac.
He is 5 foot 11 inches with a menacing gaze. So what makes the man tick? He has
presence, there is a way he talks, a kind of charm with a convincing quality about it, our
very own Al Pacino.
His look has undergone a sea change he lost a lot of hair, he does not sport the thick
moustache anymore. Affluence and age have increased his waistline and the paunch is
visible though not overly offending. For a man of 56, he looks fit.
He is the ultimate 21
st
century businessman: ruthless with this competitors and
generous to those who are loyal
He has managed to turn the tide in his favor on several occasions in the past.
As Napoleon said Necessity may be the mother of invention but it is also the father of
crime.
You cannot have a gang without an adversary gang. The youngest of the chiristian
brothers was fair and good looking, hence, the epithet Chikna Johny
Fair Maria could not resist the raw appeal of the tall, robust, and brawny Ibrahim Dada.
Soon Ibrahim and Maria were married and the girl embraced islam. This enraged Johny
Dada, who saw their union and subsequent conversion as a personal humiliation
Johnys reputation took another beating when his agents and pimps, some of whom
were muslim, refused to pay his share to their spoils and sought refuge with Ibrahim
dada.

Bombays Midas
Mastans father was a hardworking but impoverished farmer who moved to Bombay
with his son after miserably failing to make ends meet in his hometown.
As Mastan walked home to his Basti from Crawford market, he would often walk past
the grandiose southern area of grand road, which housed those marvelous theaters,
Alfred and Novelty. Each time he noticed a huge, sparkling car whizz past him or walked
by the plush Malabar bungalows, he would look down at his dirty soiled hands and
wonder if a day would come when he would be able to own these cars and bungalows.
This, more than anything else, stirred a certain feverish desire in him to think of ways
and means to become bigger, richer, and more powerful.
But uneducated and unskilled, with the additional burden of supporting the family,
Mastan could see only a bleak road ahead of him.
Mastan thought of evading the import duty imposed by British on the Philips transistors
and imported watches. While he thought out this devious scheme, he serendipitously
met a man named sheikh galib, an arab by descent. Galib was also looking for someone
young and energetic to support him in his illegal activity of evading import duty.
Ghalib was arrested by police and custom authorities for smuggling and evading tax, and
Mastans dreams of success were shattered prematurely.
He was contemplating investing in horses for the derby, or starting a hotel or even
returning to Dubai, which was his hometown.
My father always taught me that I could escape everyone, but I will never escape the
creator. I still believe I can become the badshah of Mumbai someday. The words,
spoken with faith and confidence, brought tears to Ghalibs eyes.
I will accept this only on one condition. We shall both share it equally and become
partners, Ghalib proposed in a rush or gratitude.



Madrasi Mobster
Varda was a glib talker. He could convince anyone that he was right. Even he had just
killed an army, he could legitimize it.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Vardarajan, in a small way, had much to do
in making Dharavi the biggest slum space in Asia. Such was the allure of his might, that
people started working blindly for him.


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