Who was Boysie Singh?

Boysie Singh was a notorious Trinidadian killer who was eventually hanged for murder in the mid-1950s.
Born at 17 Louis Street, Woodbrook, on April 5, 1908, he grew up to be a gambler, thief, arsonist, pirate, and mass murderer.
Singh’s father Bhagrang Singh was himself a fugitive from justice, who reportedly fled India to Trinidad.
Singh started doing petty crime, even spending time at Carrera Island Prison in the 1940s.
Following prison, he ran gambling clubs and brothels, moved on to the protections racket, and was known to set fire to cars or buildings when "clients" would not pay up.
Later, he smuggled goods from Cedros to Caracas, then resorted to piracy. From 1947 to 1956, Singh and his henchmen terrorised local fishermen and Venezuelan smugglers. They would kill a crew, steal their goods and engines, and sink the boat.
Singh broadened his criminal reach to include human trafficking, smuggling illegal immigrants some of whom he would rob or kill.
Along the way, it is reported, he murdered hundreds of people. Legend has it that some victims were made to "walk the plank", in the tradition of old-time Caribbean pirates, and plunge to their death at sea.
Twice, Singh was charged by the police. In one case, he got off due to lack of evidence. In the other, he was convicted but won on appeal and was released.
Eventually, Singh's luck ran out when he was convicted for the murder of a dancer. All appeals failed, and he was sentenced to death.
Boysie Singh was hanged at the Royal Gaol in Port-of-Spain on August 20, 1957.
Source: Breaking News T&T, Feb 2019

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