Thug Behram, often called the “King of the Thugs”, emerged from the shadows of late 18th-century Awadh (modern-day central India). Little is known of his early days, but colonial records place his origins around 1765. By the 1830s, Behram had risen to the top of the notorious Thuggee cult, a secretive band infamous for highway robbery and ritualistic strangulation.

Behram's weapon of choice was no ordinary scarf. It was a ceremonial fold of cloth, often with a heavy medallion sewn in. He had mastered a method where he’d fling it at a victim, positioning the medallion at the Adam’s apple, then tighten to strangle.

Between 1790 and 1840, Thug Behram operated extensively throughout northern and central India. He was captured during the British suppression of Thuggee, a campaign led by officers of the Thuggee and Dacoity Department, notably Captain William Sleeman and James Paton, who compiled extensive records of Behram’s confessions and trial notes.

In his own testimony, Behram admitted to personally strangling about 125 victims, and being present for as many as 931 murders over five decades. He also claimed to have witnessed the killings of 150 additional individuals, participating in mass group executions where the rumāl—a handkerchief reinforced with a medallion—was used with deadly efficiency. Behram was reportedly able to throw the garrote with such skill that the medallion would land directly on the victim’s adam’s apple, accelerating asphyxiation and ensuring a silent, swift death.

The total death toll linked to Behram remains unconfirmed, but if the estimate of 931 murders is even partially accurate, he would rank as one of history’s most prolific serial killers. However, some scholars argue that the number may reflect collective killings by the gang, not Behram’s individual acts. His leadership and repeated participation, however, make him responsible for dozens, if not hundreds, of calculated murders.

The British crackdown on the Thuggee cult between 1830–1840 led to mass arrests, confessions (often under duress), and executions. Behram was among those detained. While the exact details of his trial or execution remain scarce, it is widely believed that he was either hanged or died in custody by 1840.