With the rise of modern industrial capitalism, the world has come to witness a new type of crimes which have been variously known as ‘white-collar crimes’, ‘the crimes of the rich and powerful’ and so on. While in the USA, Britain, France and elsewhere, there are lot of research works done and published on their various facets. There has been no substantial and worthwhile research in India. Even no thought-provoking novel has come to be written, not to speak of treating the subject in the fashion of Dickens and Balzac. Without understanding the phenomenon, no amount of clarion-calls whether given from the ramparts of the Red Fort or the Parliament House can make even a small dent in the problem. The present study tries to fill-up this gap. It looks into the genesis of white-collar crimes and criminality of which corruption in various spheres of life is an important aspect and the link with modern capitalism in general and India in particular. It poses and answers why the white-collar crimes have proliferated and assumed menacing proportions in recent years and what will happen if no urgent steps are taken. And these steps have to be more than mere moral platitudes. The study consists of 12 comprehensive chapters which deal with the phenomenon and its various aspects and its proliferation in the corporate sector, the media, religion, education, bureaucracy and politics. It devotes a chapter to the growth of mafia and its origin, various characteristics and the mode of operation. It has analysed the deadly nexus among business, bureaucracy, politics and mafia in the light of the scams which have surfaced in India during recent years. The study is a scholarly endeavour written in a very readable style, which may be helpful to researchers, politicians, journalists and general readers.
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