Eventually, Abbas and his friends had started using their notoriety to go to places where people were gambling and ask for hafta. They’d snatch money from the gang that took hafta from the bus drivers, eventually taking over that business. They’d make shopkeepers in the area pay a monthly fee for protection, as much from themselves as from other gangs. They’d steal. They’d pick pockets on buses. They took over territories and businesses; squatted in houses. This friendship with Rakesh would continue for nearly a quarter of a century until a falling out over commission collection a year before
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