About karma gray

I am Abhishek Raj, writing under the pen name Karma Gray, a 16-year-old criminology researcher, crime and mystery writer, and Founder & Editor-in-Chief of The Crime Ledger, an independent publication I founded to approach crime as a subject of public responsibility rather than spectacle.
 

In 2026, I became an Emergent Ventures India Grantee, Class of 2026, through the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, receiving US$4,700 for career development as a crime and mystery writer and criminology researcher.
 

I have published two research papers. “From Bully to Offender,” published by The Curieux Review, examines bullying as a possible developmental risk marker whose relationship with later offending depends on factors including opportunity, peer reinforcement, money, institutional response, and media distortion. “Should We Have the Death Penalty?”, published by the Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship, examines capital punishment through moral philosophy, legal history, wrongful conviction, deterrence, institutional fallibility, and public policy.
 

My philosophical writing has also received international recognition. I was shortlisted in Philosophy for the 2026 John Locke Global Essay Prize for “Why Is Incest Wrong?”, from a competition drawing more than 100,000 submissions from 183 countries. I was separately selected for the John Locke Institute Oxford Flagship Programme following an interview and philosophical debate with a Cambridge-affiliated scholar on the redundancy of religion, and was awarded US$2,000 in merit-based scholarship.
 

My work has been featured by Prabhat Khabar, Leaders Perception Magazine, and the Centre for Peaceful Solutions.
 

In May 2026, I appeared in a full-length episode of All Things Conflict with British conflict-resolution expert Maria Arpa MBE, discussing sensationalism, victim dignity, crime journalism, and the responsibility involved in reporting human suffering. The episode, “Murder is Not Content: A 16-Year-Old’s Mission to Fix Crime Journalism,” is distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Zeno, with an additional YouTube upload available here.
 

I was subsequently featured in Leaders Perception Magazine’s 2026 “AI Reality Check” series in “The Crime Ledger uses AI to organise research, not craft arguments”. 
 

I have also been recognised by the India Book of Records as an IBR Achiever, and by the National Book of Records for being the Youngest Founder & Editor-in-Chief of an Independent Criminology Publication.
 

Alongside research and journalism, I write crime fiction, mystery, psychological horror, screenwriting, and poetry. My short story “Leon Calling Noel” was Highly Commended in the 2026 Scribblebibble Writing Competition for its originality, language, and imaginative use of the prompt.
 

My longer-form work includes The Mike Gray Files, a crime-procedural series spanning prose and screenwriting, and The Deadline Met, a completed gothic psychological thriller.

Profiles:

LinkedIn · X · Medium · Youth Ki Awaaz · F6S · The Black List

The Crime Ledger:

Official Website · Medium Publication

Selected Features & Recognition:

Prabhat Khabar· Prabhat Khabar Instagram · India Book of Records · Leaders Perception Magazine · Centre for Peaceful Solutions

All Things Conflict Podcast Appearance:

YouTube · Spotify · Apple Podcasts · iHeartRadio · Zeno