How a Brutal Mafia Enforcer Became a Deadly Serious Marathoner

One of the Mumbai underworld’s most feared gunmen, Rahul Jadhav spent years running from the law. Now he runs for absolution.

Photos by Zishaan A. Latif

Rahul Jadhav struggles to put pen to paper. He’s in a rehab program at an addiction center, sitting on the last bench in the back of the room, and his counselor has asked the class of 30 addicts to draw two columns on their sheets: “strengths” and “vices.” Jadhav is quick to list his cardinal sins: lust, greed, envy, pride and wrath. But when it’s time to consider his strengths, answers evade him. He knows he was good with a 9 millimeter pistol, and an ace at extorting hundreds of thousands of rupees from real estate developers at gunpoint, but those skills can’t be listed.

“Running,” he says, when the counselor, Habiba Jetha calls on him. “I’m good at running.”

“Great,” encourages Jetha, “Do you have any experience?”

“Some,” he hesitates. When the counselor assures him he can drop his guard, Jadhav turns his gaze to the floor. “I run when I’m chased. I have experience running from cops, from the people I shot at, and from rival gang members. The farthest I’ve r…