CHENNAI: Parents use them to spy on their kids, spouses keep tab on their partners with them, companies pay them for background checks on employees and marriage hopefuls try to determine the ‘character’ of their online matches with them.
With mistrust lurking high, private detectives have never been in more demand in Tamil Nadu. Their job depends on stalking their targets and intrusion of their privacy, yet there is not a single statutory regulation for detective agencies.
Following targets or scrutinising college certificates are well-known tactics. But these days private detective agencies use top-class equipment for their work.
Some record audio and visual data using high-quality cameras while others embed sources in the target’s workplace or even go to the extent of extracting call records—which is patently illegal, if not an offence. The lack of any formal regulation is giving some detective agencies the confidence to indulge in numerous illegal activities, it’s said.
People in the industry agree that lack of regulation is leading to a number of bogus enterprises springing up. They said that people want to make a quick buck by fooling innocent clients with false credentials and fake testimonials. Even those that aren’t fraudulent companies concede to not having a license as it isn’t mandatory. A member of APDI remarked that all one needs is a letterhead and a running website.
“We definitely require regulation,” said the owner of a detective agency. “There are illegal activities taking place and it is necessary for us to know the parameters within which we can operate. As of now, we are drawing the line ourselves as to the kind of work we take up but not all organisations do that.”