The term supari came from Bhim, who was the king of Mahim province in Mumbai.

The term 'supari' came from Bhim, who was the king of Mahim province in Mumbai. According to Hussain Zaidi, author of the book Dongri to Dubai that chronicles the underworld's history in Mumbai, Bhim, who was the chief of the Mahemi tribe, had an interesting ritual.



Whenever he had to assign a difficult task, he would call a meeting at his Mahim fort where warriors used to be given a sumptuous feast. After the feast, a plate containing a betel leaf would be placed in the middle of the gathering and the man who picked the leaf was entrusted with the difficult task.



The person giving out the supari usually relies on a middleman. The middleman arranges for the hitmen. While a photograph of the target is necessary, the one who gives out the supari will also give an update of the target's location and when to find him. In most cases, the one giving out the supari will also have the shooters observe the target for a few days.



When music baron Gulshan Kumar was gunned down on August 12, 1997, his killers had been keeping a watch on him for at least a month before his killing. His assailants knew that Kumar visited the Shiv temple alone. On August 12, they waited for him and killed him.