The brazen murder of Atiq Ahmed, an Indian mafia don-turned-politician was shot dead by three assailants in Prayagraj on April 15, 2023, while being escorted by about a dozen police personnel for a routine medical check-up. He was killed hours after the last rites of his son Asad Ahmed, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi two days ago. This incident has once again put the limelight on the don culture in India that has plagued our society for decades. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the nation’s most infamous dons and gangsters, and the trouble they created:
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim is one of the richest gangsters of all time. As per Forbes 2015 list, Dawood Ibrahim has an estimated net worth of $6.7 billion. The son of a police constable, Dawood Ibrahim included his relatives and friends and created a gang to engage in robberies, smugglings, fraud, and other petty crimes during his teens. This made him lock horns with the infamous Haji Mastan. However, by the late 1970s’, Dawood Ibrahim started money laundering, illegal arms trade, extortion, gold smuggling, and drug trafficking – He formed the D-Company, a syndicate that is believed to have thousands of members operating across multiple continents. He was named the main perpetrator of the 1993 serial blasts. He escaped to Pakistan after this and started to operate from there.
Chotta Rajan
Born as Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, Chotta Rajan began as a ticket scalper and thief. He then joined Rajan Mahadev Nair’s (Bada Rajan) gang and took it over after his mentor’s death in 1983. He partnered with Dawood Ibrahim and became powerful.
However, in 1993, a fallout between the two forced Chotta Rajan to form his own gang and started engaging in murders, drug trafficking, extortion, and smuggling. At present, Chotta Rajan is serving a life imprisonment sentence at Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Haji Mastan
Born in Panaikulam, Tamil Nadu in 1926, Haji Mastan came to Bombay when he was eight. He developed an underworld empire in 1960 and ruled the city for two decades with the help of Varadarajan Mulaidar and Karim Lala. Many people refer to him as Bombay’s ‘Robin Hood’ for the charity work he undertook in Dharavi. Haji Mastan developed relations with high-profile actors and politicians. In 1980, he formed a political party (Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh). He died in 1994 at the age of 68.
Varadarajan Mulaidar
Another gangster from Tamil Nadu, Varadarajan Mulaidar came to Bombay in 1945 when he was just 19 years old. He used to work as a porter at VT station. However, later he became a criminal after engaging in the theft of cargo at Mumbai’s docks. Varadarajan Mulaidar expanded his empire through gambling, illicit sale of liquor, illegal land encroachment, extortion, kidnapping, and contract killing. He died of a heart attack in 1988.
Karim Lala
Born in Afghanistan in 1911 as Abdul Sher Khan, Karim Lala became one of the most feared and powerful gangsters, along with Haji Mastan and Varadarajan Mulaidar. He was a part of the Pathan gang and worked as a recovery broker. He helped Gujarati and Marwari moneylenders and tycoons. He expanded his criminal activities and started forced eviction, extortion, illegal gambling, illegal sale of liquor, and contract killings. He also had contacts in Bollywood. His nephew Samad Khan took over when Karim Lala decided to retire. In February 2002, he dies of a heart attack at the age of 90.
Veerappan
Veerappan is the deadliest smuggler, poacher, and bandit. He is accused of killing over 120 people, and more than 2,000 elephants in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. He also smuggled and sold tons of sandalwood and ivory. In 2004, he was killed in an encounter at Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district.
