Foreign News: 4,500,000 Criminals

In ancient India, every small potentate had his private army of spies and muscle men. When the Grand Moguls conquered the country in the 16th century, they gradually dethroned these minor rulers. Their henchmen, out of jobs, turned into gangsters and racketeers whose franchise on India's crime has lasted to the present day. Their estimated number: 4,500,000.

Catalog of Crime. Each gang developed its own specialty. The Kabutri Nats, famed for their beautiful women, operated as dancing troupes: while the women danced, the men and children frisked the audience. The Bauriahs became confidence men: disguised as sadus (holy men), they duped...