“Mumbai’s Most Wanted” by Madhukar Zende and Jai Vijaya Madhukar Zende
It is the 1970s. Mumbai is in the underworld’s vice grip. Film stars, businessmen, traders and the common man-no one is safe from the mafia’s greed and wrath. But a determined, intelligent and no-nonsense policeman is about to bring them to justice … without ever firing a single bullet.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retd) Madhukar B. Zende is best-known for his sensational arrest of the serial murderer Charles Sobhraj, aka the Serpent. He is also lauded for successfully managing the violent riots in Mumbai that broke out in the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1993, and ushering in an era of peace.
But Zende has many more stories of crime and justice under his belt, and in this book, he gives readers a glimpse into what it meant to be a cop in the seventies and eighties. From the puzzling case of the murder of Shanta Devi to the kidnapping of a famous movie mogul to the capture of dark luminaries like Arun Gawli, Karim Lala, Haji Mastan and Babu Reshim, Mumbai’s Most Wanted is a riveting account of a supercop who brought some of the city’s most dreaded villains to their knees.
The book extract is taken from Madhukar Zende’s account of capturing Charles Sobhraj for the second time in his career. It is published on Moneycontrol. It has been published by HarperCollins India.
Madhukar Bapurao Zende served in the Mumbai Police from 1959 to 1996. Over an illustrious career, he became the first officer to win a Police Medal for Meritorious Service and a President’s Medal for Distinguished Service in successive years. He now spends his time between the homes of his three children and in Pune. Hours of exercise, intensely tough sudokus, cooking, and meeting family and friends are his passions. This is his first book. He was assisted in its writing by his son, Jai Vijaya Madhukar Zende.
13 June 2025
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