Private detectives get busy as revellers come out on festival nights, post-Covid

Two years after Covid, detectives are getting more curious job works - a father asking for information on movements of his daughter or son, a husband wanting inputs on wife's whereabouts, parents eager to track location of their children. Many young men and women go out of their homes in the name of Aparatri Dandiya, India's first female detective Rajani Pandit told ETV Bharat.

Mumbai: Coming after two years of 'stay at home' Coronavirus confinement, Year 2022 seems to have come with abundant benefits for one and all - private detectives being no exception. Especially, the private espionage business witnesses a boom in Mumbai and other cities ahead the Navratri festival for reasons not so palatable.

Detectives are getting curious job works - a father asking for information on movements of his daughter or son, a husband wanting inputs on wife's whereabouts, parents eager to track location of their children. All this because they are all afraid what will happen to their spouses or children as they are going out whole night in the name of some excuse like Dandiya during festival celebrations. Moreover, this is the first time that the enthusiasts are going to attend Dandiya during Navratri festival after a gap of two years on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year, it seems that private detectives are being preferred by couples, young men and women and husband and wife going out on the occasion of Dandiya. It is not unusual that every year during the Navratri festival, parents ask private detectives to keep an eye on their sons and daughters or a husband and wife if they are suspicious of each other.

India's first female spy Rajani Pandit, speaking to ETV Bharat, said that for the last two years, the private detective could not find much work during Corona pandemic. But this year, once the Covid restrictions were lifted, all the festivals are being celebrated with great enthusiasm. Ten works have come to her doorsteps in the last two-three days and many more works are likely to come in the next few days.

Rajani Pandit said that many young men and women go out of their homes in the name of Aparatri Dandiya, giving it as the reason while taking permission from their parents. Also many husbands and wives stay outdoors all night in the name of Dandiya. "At that time, when the parents or husband and wife get suspicious, they come to us and ask us to keep an eye on that person. Our spies sometimes join the gang of Dandiyas in disguise, but do they go to any hotel or any secluded place after being chased? This information is given," she said.

Rajani Pandit has many such job works in Surat, Ahmedabad and other cities, in addition to Mumbai. For detective work in Mumbai, they charge Rs 50,000 to Rs. 60,000. If it is outside Mumbai, it depends on the situation and how many days the work is. We charge for it accordingly. The work so far has been given by some for two days of back-up and some for nine days of follow-up. Rajni Pandit said that there is a large number of young women as well as married women and men in this. Similarly, parents rush to us and hope for deliverance so that no untoward incident or bad happens to their daughter. Since Rajni Pandit has been working for many years, people tend to trust her. So many people even outside Mumbai entrust her with such spy work.