‘Shoe & tell’ outside the sessions court

In Mumbai’s mafiosi, gangsters have a clear distinction: they either belong to the Dawood Ibrahim or the Chhota Rajan gang, save a few moles who cross the sacred line as and when opportunity strikes.

Some are identified by their exclusive nicknames. For instance, Salim Yamaha, Salim Kutta, Salim Chor, Salim Kurla, Salim Passport, Salim this and Salim that. But, this is only for people like you and me.

Policemen posted outside the MCOCA court have entirely another way of identifying gangsters. They only have to take one look at the shoes lined up outside the courtroom to know just who they belong to.

The information of which gangster has come for a hearing is usually sought by his friends and relatives who come to spend ‘precious moments’, and by the chamchas there who say, ‘Bhai ko salaam marne aaya’.

If the enquiry is for Yusuf Bachkana, a Chhota Rajan gangster, he is identified by his tall, knee-length brown gumboots. Similarly, Kalia Rajan, another Rajan aide, is identified by the black, sturdy, criss-cross leather slippers. As for fashionable underworld don Abu Salem, it is a pair of flashy sports shoes, which are branded, of course.

Likewise, many high-profile gangsters, who sport stylish footwear, are identified by the branded shoes they leave outside the courtroom.

For the policemen, who are deputed from the Local Arms division to escort these gangsters from jail to courtrooms, this new method of identifying gangsters by their shoes saves them the trouble of getting up from their chairs, peeping inside the courtroom and passing on the information to the inquisitive relative.

The policemen say they hit upon the method after being pestered by the criminals’ relatives. So, every time they were asked about a particular gangster, they would point to the shoes lying outside and ask the relatives to identify them. Eventually, the police learnt exactly which pair belonged to which gangster.