Mumbai Mafia

Raw, fast-paced, and deeply researched, this is a story of fear, redemption, and a city that fought back—and won.

For decades, Mumbai was not only India’s financial capital and city of dreams, but also the battleground of one of the world’s most feared underworld networks.

Mumbai Mafia by seasoned journalists Manish Pachouly and Vivek Agrawal traces the rise and fall of the city’s notorious mafia syndicates, from Karim Lala, Haji Mastan, and Varadarajan Mudaliar to Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem, Chhota Rajan, and Arun Gawli. The book reveals how crime, politics, Bollywood, and real estate became deeply linked, with the 1997 murder of music magnate Gulshan Kumar marking a turning point in Mumbai’s fight against organised crime.

Drawing on interviews, police records, and firsthand reporting, it chronicles how top cop D Sivanandhan and his team under the guidance of Mr R H Mendonca launched a relentless crackdown to reclaim the city from fear.

Gripping and deeply researched, Mumbai Mafia uncovers Bombay’s darkest decades and the men who brought the mafia empire down.