“Most banks and financial institutions here have a regular column in account books for goonda expenses, called recovery expenses,” says Vadakkumchery. Such is the competition now that goonda service rates are plummeting — even in small towns like Changanassery or Kayamkulam. It costs banks and loan sharks a mere Rs 300 to repossess a vehicle, down from Rs 700 three years back.

But the competition also means bloody turf wars, and internecine fights too.

Then there are regulars serving Kerala’s many mafias. Additional DGP (Intelligence) Jacob Punnose was candid that the mafia now commanded an income base that even the government can’t match: “Our initial assessment was that the mafia command a turnover of about Rs 50,000 crore. But that now seems to have been a very conservative estimate. The mafia is in control of a big chunk of everything from land and real estate to sex, booze, hawala, financing and a lot more.”

Liquor is another area that the mafia controls. Officially, people from Kerala guzzle 8.3 litres per capita of liquor a year, the country’s highest, way ahead of people from Punjab. With former chief minister A K Antony banning the fiery local brew, arrack, a few years ago and the state owned Kerala Beverages Corporation Ltd taking over the so-called Indian Made Foreign Liquor vends, the consumption ought to reflect in KBCL’s turnover. It doesn’t. Says Punnose: “Such consumption should mean that the KBCL sells liquor worth at least four times more than it does. So guess who sells the rest.‘’

... contd.