Cops zero in on gangsta speak

Seth can only be caught if a zero squeals on him. But an ulispa must be careful. He must at all cost take with him a maa loaded with beta. If you are wondering what this truckload of gibberish means, you need to bring yourself up to speed with the shifting world of Mumbai underworld slang.

For the record, Seth is the code word for Chhota Rajan, who is no longer referred to as Nana. Zero is the derogatory term for a police informer, who used to be earlier known as khabri. An ulispa is a policeman, who till recently was called pandu or babu. Maa is slang for gun or revolver and beta for bullets.

Even Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted man, is not called Mucchhad anymore. The don’s men now refer to him as Haji Saab. Underworld sources say Haji Saab has been sporting a long beard of late and has gone into a cocoon, having given up his flamboyant lifestyle.

About Rajan, Dawood’s sworn enemy, a senior crime branch officer said: “His new name Seth has been doing the rounds for the last month.” He said that recently, police detectives were surprised to come across a slew of new words in the lingo of the underworld when they tapped telephone and mobile connections of gangsters — although underworld slang keeps changing.

The police got cracking and through informers decoded most of the new terminology. The cops stumbled upon maa and beta when an ATS team rounded up three men of Chhotta Shakeel’s gang. “But in Dawood’s gang, bullets are known as chocolate,” said an ATS official. Until recently, revolvers were called ghodas.

Chhota Shakeel himself has had a name change. He is no longer Pau Takla, which he was called due to his receding hairline, but CSB — Chhota Shakeel bhai.