thug
the original thugs were members of a professional gang of thieves and murderers in India who strangled victims, and the term still seems male although there is nothing to prohibit it being used for women too. Unfortunately, in the U.S., it seems largely reserved, statistically undeservedly, for Black men, and used to trigger stereotypes of black criminality. Check your work to see who you're calling a thug. See also bad guy.
