Book extracts: Khallas
Always wanted to talk like a gangster but didn't have the guts to ask those D-Company guys? J.Dey provides an 'A to Z guide'to the underworld.
Khallas
J Dey
Jaico
Rs 275 PP 207
Anar Bomb, resembling pomegranate. They look alike but are rarely used in Mumbai.
Bhai The chief executive of the D(awood) Company.
Charlie Cocaine - street value around Rs 3,000 per gram.
Dana Live rounds, a relatively old term, can be traced back to Dawood and the early 1980s.
Extra People who assist the main shooter in a killing.
Fielding Refers to the process of planning of a public killing with an intricate network of five to eight people.
Gaddi (Train) The position of practising sodomy inside a crammed jail.
Haddi (Bone) Lean looking gangsters were given names like Salim Haddi or Paulos Haddi, etc.
Item Sexy damsel. Originally coined for Meenakshi Sharma, who wanted to join Bollywood but ended up as a key operative in Babloo Shrivastava's gang.
Jhadu (Broom) Refers to the rapid firing capabilities of Kalashnikov assault rifles AK 47 and AK 56.
Khujli A person with a malicious intent.
Lift-wali building 9 mm Caliber Semi-automatic Star Pistol. So called because bullets are pushed upwards by a spring in an automatic pistol, just like an elevator.
Matka Clandestine betting - a major source of income for the underworld till 1970s.
Naka bandi Logjam created by the police following a shootout.
Peti A lakh of rupees. Originating from the petty cash boxes where small-time businessmen collected their cash.
Qurbani Sacrifice. Synonymous with D Company. Refers to a chess like move where a frontline shooter is sacrificed to gain an advantage.
Roti A term used by intelligence officials to denote compact discs (CDs), which are often dispatched through couriers.
Supari Supari or contract killing still remains the buzzword, decades after it entered the mafia parlance.
Third gear To dodge someone by gaining momentum, speeding off.
Ustara Razor. A favourite weapon of the mafiosi in the 1970s. While possession of one does not attract serious punishment, in skilled hands can kill.
White and white The dress code of the dada for more than two decades till the bhai culture took over.
Young company The earlier name of the D Company when they were locked with a fierce battle with the Pathans, till the latter were eliminated.
Zero dial The informer, as he was known in Dawood's stronghold Dongri, in South Mumbai.