Thug Behram. "Killer"

Thug Behram (ca 1765 - 1840), a one time leader of the 'Thuggee Cult' in India is said to have killed up to 931 victims by strangulation with the ceremonial cloth used by his cult. Behram is quoted however as saying that he was in fact 'present' at 931 murders, but only actually committed 125 himself, and actually witnessed about a further 150 being strangled. Behram was hanged for his murders in 1840.

The English word 'Thug' is in fact borrowed from the word 'Thuggee', although the use of the word today differs from the true reality of the 'Thuggee'. The 'Thuggee' were covert and operated as a member of a group, and the term typically referred to the killing of a large number of people in a single operation. This distinguished the term from simple armed robbery as they would target groups of travellers and kill them in one go, before taking their possessions.

Many modern sources describe the Thuggee as a religious cult, however others feel that it was merely the equivalent of modern day organised crime with no particular religious objectives. The Thuggee almost died out as a result of British occupation of India in the 19th century, however it is believed that smaller cells of Thuggee survived until the early parts of 20th century. Another factor in the decline of the Thuggee is the emergence of new forms of travel, mainly the railways, instead of by horses or by foot.