A devotee of the Hindu goddess Kali, who was worshipped through ritual murder and sacrifice of travellers. The thuggee centre was in remote central India, where victims were strangled. Eradication of the brotherhoods was difficult because of the secrecy of the cult. It was largely suppressed in the 1830s by the detective skills of William Sleeman, appointed to the task by Lord William Bentinck. Indians welcomed the intervention, and there has been no revival, but the term passed into the English language.