HYDERABAD: What was traditionally a male-dominated profession, today has many women agents. There has been growing curiosity about detective agencies and more and more women are looking at it to be a viable career option
CE speaks to women detectives about the nature of their work, the challenges they face every day, the risks their job entails, prerequisites to become one and more.
First things first, what makes one fit to be a detective? AM Malathy, one of the first women detectives in South India and founder of Malathy Women Detective Agency in Hyderabad, says, the list is short, simple, yet a rare mix. “Presence of mind, courage, curiosity and the basics of martial arts. If a candidate has these, we take care of the rest -- we send them out to the field with senior staff so they learn on the job,” she shares.
How Akriti Khatri, founder of Venus Detective Agency, got her first job is an interesting story. “I grew up being a very curious child, interested in people’s matters. In college, my friends would ask me to check if a guy is worth their time or check on their cheating boyfriends. One very normal day, I saw a detective agency’s ad and called them to ask if they were hiring. A month into the job of not doing much, I learnt the art of patience. Post that, I learnt everything on the job,” says Akriti, one of the top detectives in the country who has set up her agency in eight cities.
On why and when people approach a detective, Malathy says, “Not all cases are taken up by the cops. A cop won’t do anything about a man doubting his wife’s loyalty or an employer wanting to verify a candidate before hiring him/her, etc. That’s when clients come to us with such requests.” On what kind of cases come their way, Smita Giri, founder of Spycraft Detective Agency, says, “They are mostly centred around cases of domestic violence, corporate investigations, stalking, sting operations, property verification, pre-marital checks, shadowing/surveillance, employee verification, etc.”
How much does an average detective earn? Smita says that it depends on the kind of role an agent plays. “A fresher, if on the payroll, could draw between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per month. If the detective works case-wise, he/she is paid according to the nature of the case they take up,” says Smita, whose agency has its presence in 13 States.
Now, how much do their clients pay for a case? She answers, “That depends on the nature of the case, the risk it involves, the equipment used and the amount of time taken to solve it. But it mostly ranges from `10,000 to `50,000 a case. Only if a rare case comes up, it goes higher than that.”
Going by a Sherlock Holmes flick, one would imagine detectives dressed in long jackets, gloves, hats, and goggles, but that’s far from reality. “Detectives dress up as normal people when on the job. Our sleuths have to be able to blend in the crowd, they have to look as less attention-grabbing as possible,” Smita says.
Also, these desi Nancy Drews use a different kind of cellphone, software, spy cameras, high-quality recorders and trackers. Asked if they collaborate with cops, Malathy says that they most often never have to. “But we are always in touch with them. We try to avoid cases that could have legal repercussions,” she says.
Speaking about one of the biggest drawbacks of the career, Akriti, says, “The biggest risk we fear is cops catching us for merely doing our job. Many look at this to be an immoral profession, which is why we are fighting to ensure that it is legalised.”
Smita seconds Akriti and says that to ensure their job does not amount to invading someone’s privacy, they verify and take up cases only when their client proves genuine relation, reason and rationale.
