21 Facts About Haji Mastan

Haji Mastan, popularly known as Sultan Mirza, was an organised crime gang leader, originally from Tamil Nadu and based in Bombay.

Haji Mastan was one of an infamous trio of mafia gang leaders in Bombay for over two decades from the 1960s to the early 1980s, along with Karim Lala leader of the Pathan gang, and Varadarajan Mudaliar, another famous gang leader from Tamil Nadu in South India.

At his peak, Mastan operated a powerful smuggling syndicate in Mumbai and along the Gujarat coast and later diversified into film financing and real estate business.

Haji Mastan was known to be a shrewd businessman and a cunning deal-maker.

Haji Mastan always maintained friendly relations with the police and government officials and often promoted peace between rival gangs, and was good friends with Lala, Mudaliar, Hassan Patni and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

Haji Mastan was arguably the most influential mafia don of his time.

Haji Mastan was seen as a "style icon" by many due to his extravagant lifestyle including immaculate white clothes, white shoes, white Mercedes cars and expensive gold watches.

Haji Mastan flaunted an extravagant lifestyle to appear affluent and influential.

Haji Mastan was born in 1926 in a Tamil Muslim family in Panaikulam, in the Madras Presidency of British India.

Haji Mastan lived in the coastal town of Cuddalore before migrating to Bombay with his father at the age of 8.

Haji Mastan started doing odd jobs as a small boy in the famous Crawford Market and soon joined the docks and started working long hours there.

Haji Mastan began making a decent sum of money by diverting his sectors into this business.

Haji Mastan joined hands with Sukkur Narayan Bakhia, a smuggler from Daman to control the illegal items smuggled into Mumbai and Daman from the countries in the Persian Gulf.

Haji Mastan purchased properties at various locations in South Bombay including a sea-facing bungalow at Peddar Road.

Haji Mastan lived in a small room built on the roof of his bungalow.

Haji Mastan ventured into film financing later in his life, providing producers in Mumbai with some much-needed funds.

Haji Mastan had business interests in real estate, electronic goods, and hotels.

Haji Mastan owned several electronic shops in Musafir Khana near Crawford Market.

Later in life, Haji Mastan did not take a direct role in running his gang, but instead, he depended on right-hand men like Lala and Mudaliar to carry out his smuggling operations and intimidate rivals and debtors.

Haji Mastan was especially close to Mudaliar as they were both from Tamil Nadu.

When Mudaliar died, Haji Mastan hired a private chartered plane to bring his body to Mumbai for the final rites.