Predatory Webs

Both the Epstein files and the 1992 Ajmer scandal teach us one thing-predatory systems do not just require a predator; they require an ecosystem of enablers

- Nargis Begam

THE 1990s are often remembered as a decade of globalisation and cultural shift, but beneath the surface, two of history's most harrowing predatory networks were taking root. Separated by oceans and cultural norms, Jeffrey Epstein's abuses and the 1992 Ajmer scandal mirror each other with haunting precision. Both systems were built on a foundation of absolute power, the exploitation of youth and a chilling reliance on institutional silence. This is the story of how two vastly different worlds—one of billionaire jets and the other of religious authority—became theatres of systemic abuse.

In the early 1990s, the genesis of these scandals relied on the perceived untouchability of the perpetrators. Epstein's power was economic and social. By 1991, he had secured the backing of retail mogul Leslie Wexner, providing him with the wealth and “prestige” needed to infiltrate the highest echelons of Manhattan and Palm Beach society. He used his private jet and sprawling estates to create a “private world” where the laws of the land seemingly did not apply.

Conversely, the Ajmer scandal was fuelled by religious and political authority. The primary accused were members of the influential Chishti family, traditional caretakers (