MUMBAI MAFIA: POLICE VS THE UNDERWORLD is a new Netflix documentary in the true crime niche. This time it’s focusing on how police officers took it upon themselves to be the judge, jury, and executioner. Gangsters were running rampant in Mumbai and especially one cop wanted to change this.

But how far can you go before you become exactly what you’re fighting?! With a runtime of 87 minutes, this is quick to watch and one wild ride.

Fairly early on in the Mumbai Mafia: Police vs the Underworld Netflix documentary, the concept of “encounters” is introduced. It was used in headlines constantly and often accompanied by facts about how many gangsters were killed during the “encounter”.

The police officers involved in these encounters came to be known as “encounter cops”. They were cops who seemed ready to fire their weapons fast and with fatal outcomes for the gangsters.

Obviously, for many people watching Mumbai Mafia on Netflix, this isn’t standard police work. Or it shouldn’t be. These gangsters should be arrested, go on trial, and – if convicted – serve time in jail.

To be fair, some gangsters did also go to jail, but those who came across the encounter cops had a tendency to receive the death penalty then and there.
So, how far can you go as a cop before you become a gangster? Well, as long as the media and people around these cops are applauding their actions, you can go on forever. As since they’re wearing the uniform and holding the badge, the consequences of their killings are non-existent.

Watch Mumbai Mafia: Police vs the Underworld on Netflix now!
As I was watching the Netflix documentary Mumbai Mafia: Police vs the Underworld, I was both shocked and felt a sense of familiarity. If you’ve watched some of the other Netflix true crime documentaries from India, you’ll know that it is a rough world.

Often one where police officers have a monopoly on truth. And also one where their “truth” doesn’t always correspond too well with the facts. In the case of the encounter cops, it seems they were celebrated for their actions. I mean, Bollywood movies were made based on how they cleaned up Mumbai “Dirty Harry”-style.

Later on, once the outside world started asking questions, they became villains. Is this fair? Can you celebrate people for doing something and pay them to continue doing this, only to later punish them?! There is a lot wrong with how these encounters happened, but everyone was aware of what went on.

As grotesque as it was, from an outside perspective, it was what everyone seemed to want. Until they didn’t and their conscience got the better of them. Everything about the situation is wrong really and, as we all know, two wrongs don’t make a right.

Check out this Netflix documentary (directed by Raaghav Dar and Francis Longhurst) to get a sense of the crazy years with gangsters and encounter cops in 1990s Mumbai.
Mumbai Mafia: Police vs the Underworld is out on Netflix from January 6, 2023.