Mumbai's Early Crime Triumvirate: Lala, Mastan and Mudaliar Shaped the City’s Underworld

In the 1960s and 1970s Mumbai’s criminal landscape was ruled by a three-man alliance that combined illicit trade with local patronage. Abdul Karim Sher Khan, known as Karim Lala, arrived from Afghanistan, settled disputes among Pathans and expanded into gold, silver and electronics smuggling, as well as gambling and protection schemes. Haji Mastan, who started as a dock porter, became a major precious-metal smuggler and forged strong ties with Bollywood, even dabbling in politics and philanthropy, a mix that later fed the myth of the stylish gangster.

Varadarajan Mudaliar, a Tamil migrant, built his power through dock theft, local networks and assistance to Tamil settlers in areas like Antop Hill, later serving as the model for the film Nayakan. Their activities were less gun-driven than later syndicates, focusing on community support and cultural influence, which was reflected in popular movies that immortalized their personas. The rise of Dawood Ibrahim in the 1980s, marked by violent clashes with Lala’s faction, signaled the end of this era and the shift toward a more aggressive, internationally linked underworld.