New Delhi, March 1 -- Black cobras are highly feared in India, even in parts where the snake is a fairly common sight. While their potent neurotoxic venom, which can cause paralysis and respiratory failure, is an obvious reason, their darkness imbues them with an extra layer of lethality. Indeed, the Hindi phrase "kala naag" more accurately conveys the dread they invoke.

That a mere stockbroker could be dubbed Black Cobra then tells the story of how dangerous Manu Manek Mundra, the man given that infamous title, must have been.

Born into a middle-class family in Calcutta in the 1940s, Manek started his trading career while still in college, eventually graduating as a full-blown broker. His modus operandi was the same as that of countles...