https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Karim_LalaKarim Lala - Revision history2026-07-31T07:16:46ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Karim_Lala&diff=229157&oldid=prev->Materialscientist at 15:12, 13 October 20212021-10-13T15:12:03Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian mobster (1911–2002)}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}<br />
{{more citations needed|date=May 2012}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Karim Lala <br /> {{nq|''کریم لالا''}}<br />
| birth_name = Abdul Karim Sher Khan<br />
| image = KarimLalaImage.jpg<br />
| image_size = <br />
| caption = <br />
| birth_date = {{birth year|1911}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Kunar Province]], [[Emirate of Afghanistan]] (present-day Afghanistan)<br />
| death_date = 19 February {{death year and age|2002|1911}}<br />
| death_place = [[Mumbai, Maharashtra]], India<br />
| occupation = [[Smuggling]], narcotics, extortion, contract killing, illegal [[gambling]], forced property evictions{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}<br />
| othername = Bade Baba<br />
}}<br />
'''Karim Lala''' (1911 &ndash; 19 February 2002), born as '''Abdul Karim Sher Khan''' in Shegal District in Samalam Village of [[Kunar province]] of Afghanistan, was infamous as one of the three "mafia dons of [[Mumbai]]" in India for more than two decades from the sixties to the early eighties.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who was Karim Lala, the underworld don, Shiv Sena claims Indira Gandhi used to meet |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/politics/who-was-karim-lala-the-underworld-don-shiv-sena-claims-indira-gandhi-used-to-meet-4825071.html |access-date=16 January 2020 |work=Moneycontrol |date=16 January 2020}}</ref> The other two being Mastan Mirza aka [[Haji Mastan]] and [[Varadarajan Mudaliar]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dey |first1=J. |title=Khallaas - an A to Z Guide to the Underworld |date=2008 |publisher=Jaico Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7992-850-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0EhtJUvOInsC&lpg=PT123&dq=%22Karim%20Lala%22%20-wikipedia&pg=PT123#q=%22Karim%20Lala%22%20-wikipedia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Jayaram |first1=N. |title=Social Dynamics of the Urban: Studies from India |date=2017 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-81-322-3741-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VYwwDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA118&dq=%22Karim%20Lala%22%20-wikipedia&pg=PA118#q=%22Karim%20Lala%22%20-wikipedia |language=en}}</ref><br />
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==Background==<br />
Karim Lala was a Pashto speaking Pathan ([[Pashtun people|Pashtun]]) who came with his extended family from Kunar, Afghanistan to Mumbai (then Bombay) in the 1920s. His family settled in one of the most densely populated and impoverished Muslim ghetto of Bhendi Bazaar in south Mumbai. <br />
Starting as an ordinary worker in the Mumbai docks, he later joined a gang of ethnic Pathans who worked as illegal recovery agents for [[Marwari people|Marwari]] and [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] money lenders, landlords and businessmen.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} These money lenders and landlords employed the burly Pathans whose tall imposing size and intimidating demeanor made it easy to recover money from defaulting debtors and evicting tenants and owners from prime properties in expensive south Mumbai.<br />
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For over two decades, he was the leader of the dreaded "Pathan Gang" that operated from impoverished and crime infested Muslim ghettos of South Mumbai like Dongri, Nagpada, Bhendi Bazaar and Mohammad Ali Road.<br />
The [[Pathan]] Gang was involved in operating illegal gambling (satta) and liquor dens, illegal money recovery, illegal land evictions, [[kidnapping]], [[protection racket]] (hafta), [[contract killing]] ([[supari]]), distribution of [[narcotics]] and [[counterfeit currency]].<br />
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Lala soon rose up the ranks to be the chief of the "Pathan Gang" that became notorious for contract killings, forced evictions from property, kidnapping and extortion. The gang operated several "[[carrom]] clubs" that were a facade for illegal moneylending, gambling and betting rackets.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}<br />
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From the seventies, Lala agreed to a pact with the other two ganglords, [[Haji Mastan]] and Varadarajan (Varada bhai) to divide Mumbai amongst themselves so that they could freely run their criminal activities without any conflict between each other.<br />
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==Personal life==<br />
Karim Lala married to two women and had one daughter from each wife. He raised his grandson as his son.<br />
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==Later life==<br />
Due to failing health during the late seventies, Lala gradually transferred the leadership of the Pathan gang to his nephew, Samad Khan and then managed his hotel and transport business. <br />
Although Lala had several illegitimate businesses{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}, his legitimate business included two hotels (Al Karim Hotel and New India Hotel) and a travel and passport agency called New India Tours and Travels.<br />
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Lala remained friendly with his other counterparts- Haji Mastan and Varadarajan. He was also close to Shiv Sena supremo [[Bal Thackeray]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bureau |first1=ABP News |title=Not Just Indira Gandhi, Sena Founder Bal Thackeray Also Met Underworld Don Karim Lala; See Picture! |url=https://news.abplive.com/news/india/indira-gandhi-karim-lala-controversy-sanjay-raut-claim-bal-thackeray-underworld-don-picture-1143764 |work=news.abplive.com |date=16 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref><br />
In 1980, Lala unsuccessfully tried to mediate peace between his nephew, Samad Khan and his rivals, Shabir Ibrahim Kaskar and [[Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar]].<br />
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Lala also held a weekly "[[Durbar (court)|durbar]]" where people from different walks of life narrated their grievances to Lala and he helped them financially or to get justice using his gang's muscle power.<br />
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He died on 19 February 2002 at the age of 90. His younger brother (mAli Mohammed) was living in Kabul Afghanistan at that time and could never meet his brother.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}<br />
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==In popular culture==<br />
During his peak, Lala frequently invited several personalities from Bollywood (Hindi film industry) to his daawats (parties) and Eid celebrations. Many characters from Bollywood movies closely resemble Karim Lala and his mannerisms and accent.<br />
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The 1973 movie, ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'', the writer duo, [[Salim–Javed]] created a Pathan character called "Sher Khan" (played by actor [[Pran (actor)|Pran]]) whose mannerisms resembled Karim Lala.<br />
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Widely considered to be the inspiration for the magnanimous crime lord Abdel Khader Khan in the 2003 bestselling novel [[Shantaram (novel)|Shantaram]], Karim shares personal and behavioral similarities with the fictional mafia don.<br />
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== See also ==<br />
*[[Organised crime in India]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[https://news.abplive.com/news/india/indira-gandhi-karim-lala-controversy-sanjay-raut-claim-bal-thackeray-underworld-don-picture-1143764 Lala with Shiv Sena Supremo - Bal Thackeray]<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lala, Karim}}<br />
[[Category:1911 births]]<br />
[[Category:2002 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Indian gangsters]]<br />
[[Category:Indian crime bosses]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]<br />
[[Category:Afghan criminals]]<br />
[[Category:Indian people of Pashtun descent]]<br />
[[Category:Indian extortionists]]<br />
[[Category:Criminals from Mumbai]]</div>->Materialscientist