Venezuela has one of the top five murder rates in the world, and in the capital Caracas, where few ever pay for their crimes, people have turned to a higher authority for protection and justice.<br /><br />Venezuelans gather to chant and pray to the statue of Ishmael, who people say in life was a gun toting gangster who stole from the rich and gave to the poor until he killed by a corrupt police officer.<br /><br />In death he is sought out by criminals needing his help and everyday people hoping for protection from their enemies.<br /><br />Ishmael and his gang are known as the Santos Malandros or "Holy Thugs".<br /><br />They are part of the Maria Lionza cult - a religion that blends Catholicism with West African and Native American traditions.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Rachel Levin reports from Caracas.
