---
product_id: 834323
title: "Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia"
price: "VT9511"
currency: VUV
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/834323-dongri-to-dubai-six-decades-of-the-mumbai-mafia
store_origin: VU
region: Vanuatu
---

# Mumbai underworld saga 320 pages True crime insights Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia

**Price:** VT9511
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Unlock the Secrets of the Mumbai Underworld!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia
- **How much does it cost?** VT9511 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/834323-dongri-to-dubai-six-decades-of-the-mumbai-mafia)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
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## Key Features

- • **Authentic Interviews:** Gain insights from real-life figures and experts.
- • **Cultural Significance:** Understand the socio-political impact of organized crime.
- • **Unravel the Underworld:** Dive deep into the gritty tales of Mumbai's mafia.
- • **Rich Historical Context:** Explore six decades of crime and culture in Mumbai.
- • **Engaging Narrative Style:** Experience a captivating storytelling approach.

## Overview

Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia is a gripping exploration of the evolution of organized crime in Mumbai, offering readers a blend of historical context, personal narratives, and cultural insights that illuminate the complexities of the city's underbelly.

## Description

Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia [S Hussain Zaidi] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia

Review: One of the best books on Mumbai Mafia - Dongri to Dubai is basically the story of rise of Dawood Ibrahim. But the book is not limited to Dawood only. It covers a period of over 6 decades and stretches back to pre independence time. It covers the two generations of smugglers/mafia/don of Mumbai. The first generation consisting of Haji Mastan, Karim Lala and Vardhan while the second generation covers the Pathans and Dawood. This book documents the difference between the two generations. While the older generation didn't believe in bloodshed and followed the laws of mafia, the second generation did exactly the opposite. The story nicely builds up the change in Mafia over two generations. If you want to understand the growth of Mafia in Mumbai then read this book. Towards the end, though it seems to get repetitive. Otherwise this book is fast paced and engrossing. Read this along with the book Queens of Mumbai written by the same author.
Review: Gripping tale on the functioning and rise of Dawood - The book is a well researched and well written narrative of the rise of Dawood Ibrahim. The author has taken great care to give us the context of his rise as well. The editing too is tight with every chapter holding your attention. The story telling will feel crude at points but that is as much a by product of the subject. There are also many gaps after the 1993 blasts, about match fixing but its understandable that the feel of the first hand accounts you come across earlier in the book would be hard to come by later when the Don himself became more secretive. I'd have liked more on many of the other characters in the story but I guess that is for another book.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,332,849 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #422 in Organized Crime True Accounts #903 in Crime & Criminal Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (2,104) |
| Dimensions  | 5.5 x 0.91 x 8.5 inches |
| Edition  | 2013th |
| ISBN-10  | 8174368949 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-8174368942 |
| Item Weight  | 12.5 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 408 pages |
| Publication date  | May 29, 2012 |
| Publisher  | Roli Books |

## Images

![Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81tcPAbgHfL.jpg)
![Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81W8XQmV2XL.jpg)
![Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81QV04EznLL.jpg)
![Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GnInfxkML.jpg)
![Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81X6kM4bPdL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best books on Mumbai Mafia
*by R***L on October 29, 2012*

Dongri to Dubai is basically the story of rise of Dawood Ibrahim. But the book is not limited to Dawood only. It covers a period of over 6 decades and stretches back to pre independence time. It covers the two generations of smugglers/mafia/don of Mumbai. The first generation consisting of Haji Mastan, Karim Lala and Vardhan while the second generation covers the Pathans and Dawood. This book documents the difference between the two generations. While the older generation didn't believe in bloodshed and followed the laws of mafia, the second generation did exactly the opposite. The story nicely builds up the change in Mafia over two generations. If you want to understand the growth of Mafia in Mumbai then read this book. Towards the end, though it seems to get repetitive. Otherwise this book is fast paced and engrossing. Read this along with the book Queens of Mumbai written by the same author.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gripping tale on the functioning and rise of Dawood
*by M***Y on July 8, 2013*

The book is a well researched and well written narrative of the rise of Dawood Ibrahim. The author has taken great care to give us the context of his rise as well. The editing too is tight with every chapter holding your attention. The story telling will feel crude at points but that is as much a by product of the subject. There are also many gaps after the 1993 blasts, about match fixing but its understandable that the feel of the first hand accounts you come across earlier in the book would be hard to come by later when the Don himself became more secretive. I'd have liked more on many of the other characters in the story but I guess that is for another book.

### ⭐⭐⭐ Read's like an usteady thriller!
*by S***S on April 3, 2013*

I grew up in Bombay in the 80's and spent considerable time reading (and sometimes witnessing) the exploits of the underworld and its impact on day-to-day lives in the city. It was quite fascinating reading of these "Dons" who were essentially a bunch of cunning, murderous thieves but even back then, the news reporters of the day were quite smitten by these individuals and (perhaps unintentionally) painted a picture of them being unsung heroes. In such a time, it was refreshing to read a highly objective and detailed analysis on gang wars and their roots in an article in the Illustrated Weekly of India by Amrita Shah. This was no regular article but rather a thesis on the origins of the various gangs, its leaders, their motivation, their reach and their current standing (the article was originally published in 1985). For its time, it was amazing how Ms. Shah was able to collate so much information and present it in such a readable form. It is clear this article was influential in Mr Zaidi's career as a crime reporter and he has acknowledged this at the end of his book. However I cannot say the same level of objectivity (or finesse) is found in this book. Don't get me wrong, this book is not mediocre by any stretch and Mr Zaidi's capabilities as a reporter and his courage are evident in his choice of subject matter and his vast knowledge on the subject. But the book tends to veer (perhaps unintentionally again) towards glorifying the head of the D-gang and all his supposed accomplishments. For instance, on more than one occasion Mr. Zaidi waxes eloquent on Dawood's superior intelligence and his strategic planning calling him a better businessman than the Ambani's and Tata's combined and smarter than many heads of state put together! He goes to great extent to illustrate this superior intelligence throughout the book thru some action or incident, some of which would appear as mundane tasks for a ganglord! Other faults I find with this book are- 1) The book sometimes reads like a lengthy blog post and could benefit from useful tools like map, timelines, charts showing connections across various gangs etc. 2) Lots of passages are repetitive as if to emphasize a point. 3) The book appears to be all over the place with random chapters thrown in the middle that derail any attempt at structured analysis (the chapter on the starlet Mandakini is snicker worthy!!). 4) Could have done with better proof reading to correct basic grammar and syntax errors. All that said, what I liked about the book are 1) It offers interesting analysis and history on the various ganglords from Bombay and is presented in chronological order from the post-independence era up until the formation of "organized crime" in the 90's thru the rise of Dawood and his family and the breakout groups like the Chota Rajan gang. 2) I was very impressed by its presentation of Bombay's police force and all its accomplishments in thwarting some of these crimes despite their limitations due to the bureaucracy, antiquated technology and a corrupt political system. 3) Mr Zaidi is essentially a crime reporter and an astute one at that. His perspective on the crime situation and the political will (or lack of) to bring the criminals/terrorists to task are very insightful. It's amazing how India keeps blaming Pakistan for providing refuge to the likes of Dawood yet when he himself offered to surrender, we chickened out due to political pressure. All said, Mr Zaidi's book is an essential read for anyone interested in the subject matter of crime in Mumbai and has some familiarity with it to fully appreciate it. Despite some flaws in the narration style (as detailed above), this book is noteworthy for it's scope and the insight it offers. I would not be surprised to see more than one movie come out of this effort :)

## Frequently Bought Together

- Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia
- Byculla to Bangkok

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*Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu*
*Store origin: VU*
*Last updated: 2026-02-16*