Hitman 2 Mumbai walkthrough: where to find The Maelstrom, how to assassinate all targets, where to find disguises

Mumbai is the fourth mission in Hitman and mixes up the formula by asking you to identify a target before you can assassinate them. The streets of Mumbai are full of hustle and bustle, so trying to find your quarry while also devising a way to eliminate them in such a crowded place makes for a very unique challenge. Read on for where to find The Maelstrom, how to find disguises and more in our Hitman 2 Mumbai guide.

Hitman 2 Mumbai walkthrough

If you are just starting out, you might want to familiarise yourself with some tips on starting load-outs how to be an effective assassin in our Hitman 2 guide hub. But for everything else associated with the Mumbai mission, read on.

In the mission "Chasing a Ghost", your objective is to find and eliminate a mysterious gang leader known as The Maelstrom, while also assassinating two other members of the city’s high ranking crimelords, Dawood Rangan and Vanya Shah. The second half of that task you should be very familiar with by now, but it’s the first that throws some new ideas into the mix.

Mumbai is one of the game’s smaller levels but is also extremely dense. An under construction tenement building owned by Dawood Rangan on the right side of the map stretches up six floors, for example, while the slums below it are a compact bunch of shops, stalls, businesses and homes all squashed tightly next to or on top of each other. It’s a very crowded place, ideal for you to move around in unnoticed in your hunt for The Maelstrom.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city is the trainyard. This has been converted into a base of operations for the self-proclaimed Queen of the Slums, Vanya Shah. Access is extremely well-controlled, though it’s a wondrous place if you can make it inside by invitation or by force. However, the guards will not react kindly if they catch you.

Mumbai targets: The Maelstrom, Vanya Shah, and Dawood Rangan

As no one is truly sure what The Maelstrom looks like, you’ll begin the assignment looking for clues about his appearance. The best place to start would be with The Crows – a gang The Maelstrom is known to be the leader of, and whose headquarters are slap-bang in the middle of the Mumbai slums. Inside is a photo you can use to pick him out in a crowd. From there you’ll wander the slums taking a closer look at those who match his description. Once you find him, you then need a plan to take him out.

For starters, you can look into what’s going on over at the closed barber shop. In the past, it’s been used as a place to pass information on to The Maelstrom, so if you can find a way to reopen it and pose as the barber, you can give the elusive gang leader a very close shave. He also likes to revisit old lovers while in the city again, so why not take the opportunity to interrupt his romantic rendezvous in the hills above the slums?

A place you’ll not be so easily infiltrating is the train yard base of Vanya Shah. Luckily, she likes to venture out from her home every now and then to assert her control over the slums. One such place is the local laundry, where she’s trying to encourage the new foreman to work his employees harder for her own benefit. You can attend that meeting as the man in question and give her a little nudge in the right direction to leave your territory for good.

Shah is also set on a new dress for herself, but the current tailor is so afraid of making a mistake and being killed that he’s ignoring all of her requests. Impending doom doesn’t phase you or 47, though, so you can assume the role of the tailor to get a private one-on-one meeting with Shah to take her measurements - and her life.

That leaves Dawood Rangan - Bollywood producer, actor, and not-so-secret mobster. He presents an image of the lovable philanthropist but in fact, he’s a sociopath who must always be the most important man in the room. When one of his latest movie scenes requires an industrial fan to create the romantic atmosphere he so desires, you can always add some more power to the moment to blow the sly star clear off the building. Or, try to upstage him as a hip US star and he’ll want a private word away from the adoring masses where you can violently reject his offer of a partnership.

Hilariously, it also appears that Shah and Rangan have a bit of a rivalry brewing between each other that may have resulted in the pair putting hits out on each other. Maybe you'll have to do very little work yourself and can assist in a fellow assassin getting the job done for you.

Mumbai points of interest

Tenement building - The tenement building is located on the right side of the map and will be the first point of interest you see from the level’s original starting position. There’s a lot to find here, including the movie set and photo shoot on the middle floors, construction work on the lower and upper levels, and Rangan’s office.

Trainyard - This is a wonderful-looking if heavily fortified area where Vanya Shah resides. When disguised, you’ll need to be frisked on your way inside so ensure you’re carrying no obvious weapons. Trying to sneak in without a legitimate escuse can be very difficult with all the roaming guards.

Slums - The slums make up the majority of Mumbai and are where most of the other points of interest are found in the level. Even though it is a public place, members of The Crows are keeping an eye out for suspicious looking foreigners as they’ve heard rumours an assassin is hunting down The Maelstrom. That’s exactly why you’re there, so be careful when walking through the crowded streets for any lookouts.

The Crows headquarters - Deep within the slums you can find the headquarters for The Crows gang. You’ll know you’re on the right track to finding it when you spot all the winged logos graffitied onto the walls. There are a number of entrances, but the most approachable is through a pipe in the sewers after dealing with the two guards.

Laundry - If you follow the sewers up from the trainyard you’ll eventually reach the laundry. Vanya Shah wants to assert her control over the business and is trying to negotiate with the new foreman to work his employees harder. That’s caused some dissent amongst the workers, but a forthcoming meeting with Shah could open up opportunities for a change in management.

Barbershop - The barbershop is right in the heart of the slums and can be easily identified by the colourful artwork on the outside shutters. There’s is also a group gathered nearby demanding he open up, making it even easier to spot. If you sneak around the back you can find the barber inside having an argument with his wife about the danger of him being a snitch for The Crows.

Tailor - The tailor shop is directly opposite the main entrance to the trainyard and will start the relevant mission story as soon as you approach it. The current tailor is trying to avoid Vanya Shah so will go for a walk outside when he’s called for, giving you the chance to assume his identity.

Mumbai disguises

Security crew - This will help you get around the tenement building with fewer interruptions. The easiest way to get one is to sneak into the construction site through a pipe at the far corner of the map, creep past the first few pairs of guards and then there will be a lone member of the security crew smoking away from everyone else.

Bollywood crew - You’ll need this for the Gone With the Wind mission story. Many of the crew are ripe for stealing it from, but your best bet is the crew member continually scoffing at the buffet. Grab the rat poison from the nearby storage room and follow him into the toilet when he needs to empty his stomach.

Laundry foreman - You can sneak up to the laundry foreman’s office via the stairs at the back of the building. Inside you’ll find him discussing his meeting with Vanya Shah with an assistant. You can lure him outside by disabling the fuse box on the roof and take his outfit. Remember to switch the lights back on, though, or the assistant will come looking too.

Crows elite soldier - There are many Crows soldiers roaming the slums whose uniforms you can steal. Perhaps the easiest, though, would be from the two guarding the sewer entrance to their hideout. You can hide the bodies in a nearby cupboard too.

Barber - If you approach the barber shop from the back you can witness an argument between him and his wife. Once the quarrel has died down, subdue him or both of them and the disguise is all yours.

Tailor - When you find the tailor shop opposite the trainyard, he’s trying to avoid an upcoming meeting with Vanya Shah for fear he will not be able to make a dress worthy of her. He decides to flee, although he chooses to hide down a secluded alleyway. A perfect spot for you to knock him out, hide him in the nearby toilet and steal his clothes.

Gregory Arthur - The visiting US celebrity is supposed to be doing a photo shoot with Dawood Rangan, but you’ll find him sampling some of the local cuisines in the slums. The food doesn’t sit right with him, though, and he’ll wander off to throw up in the river giving you the perfect opportunity to knock him out. Do watch out for passing Crows members who may spot the body if you don’t hide it well.

Mumbai items

Rat poison - There are a couple of good places to find rat poison in the Mumbai location. The first is in a small storage room in the tenement building on the same floor as the make-up room and next to all the food. The other is inside a home The Maelstrom will visit to see an old flame.

The Maelstrom photo - This is a way for you to identify who The Maelstrom is out of a number of possible suspects. It’s located on a table deep within the main room of the Crows' headquarters, so grab a disguise and make your way in or do your best infiltration job to find it.

Movie script - You’ll need to find this to progress the Gone With the Wind mission story after the lead actress tosses it away in frustration. You’ll find it about three-quarters of the way up the elevator shaft in the tenement building resting on a beam. Find something to throw at it to knock it down and collect it from the bottom.

Dress fabric - You’ll need to pick the right fabric if you want to impress Vanya Shah as the tailor. You’ll find the vendor selling fabric just outside the tailor’s shop near the entrance to the trainyard. He’ll start by charging you five coins for a piece, though you can wait around and haggle the price down if you want.

Measuring tape - Agent 47 is always good at improvising and using the measuring tape to kill Vanya Shah is no different. You can find it laying on a table in the tailor shop, or there will be some in the corner of her carriage if you forget to bring it when you meet with her.

Hitman 2 Mumbai tips

• Always have your wits about you when moving through the slums as you could bump into a lookout for The Crows at any second and blow your cover.
• There are all sorts of neon signs hanging up in the slums. If one were to fall on someone it could cause some serious harm.
• A mysterious new traveller also appears to have been seen around Mumbai recently and tracking down his apartment can lead to one of the missions more interesting assassination possibilities
• Watch out for security cameras at the trainyard and the tenement building if you want to leave no trace of yourself behind
• If you bring a sniper rifle to Mumbai there's one very tall tower you can climb that presents an opportunity to snipe all three targets

Next on the destination list is the good ol' USA for our Whittleton Creek guide. For help with the Silent Assassin ranking in this mission, you should go to our Mumbai Silent Assassin walkthrough, however in the meantime, you can always return to our Santa Fortuna guide to see how to better complete that mission, or return to our Hitman 2 guide hub for any more of your assassination needs.