The arrest of India’s renowned first lady detective Rajani Pandit only goes to show how one wrong step can tarnish a person’s reputation. Life suddenly changed for Pandit who was put behind the bars for allegedly using illegal means for obtaining call detail records (CDRs) for her clients. What prompted a woman like Rajani, who had carved a niche for herself by entering into detective field which is mostly dominated by males to commit this crime? Was she trying to make a quick buck by selling CDRs to her clients? Wasn’t she aware about the repercussion she will have to face after being nabbed by the police for being a part of this racket? Police had busted a gang of detectives and arrested four of them for illegally sourcing and selling CDRs.
Pandit has been felicitated with several awards, written two books and even a subject of a documentary named ‘Lady James Bond’. In her website, Pandit has mentioned that she has solved 75,000 cases at national and international level. Even Bollywood was inspired by Rajani to make a film based on her life. A Tamil feature film on her investigation, named as Kuttrapayirchi, will be made soon. South Indian actress Trisha Krishnan will enact her role in the film. Several foreign agencies and private couple awaiting divorce are her prime customers. Pandit’s over glorification as India’s first female detective has saved her from legal clutches.
Senior advocate Abha Singh said that if it’s proved that Rajani Pandit has illegally procured call data records then it’s a big offence under the IT act as it violates the right of privacy. “She has obtained the data illegally and it’s a clear footprint of corruption. The arrest made by Mumbai Police is a very strong step and I believe they possess strong evidence against Rajani,” she said.
According to Abha, awareness about Human rights might have a played a strong role that police now is carrying investigation against private detectives. “People are hiring private detectives to probe about the personal issues faced by them in marital lives and running business. However, detectives must be very careful while carrying out investigation and they should not violate laws. The accused have to undergo a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment if they are proved guilty,” she added.
The journey towards becoming a detective was never smooth for Rajani as people often used to taunt her that she has chosen this profession due to lack of opportunities in other sector. People would often say that detective is not a woman’s job. Since last 27 years she has been successfully running Rajani Pandit Detective Services.
Marathi actress Samidha Guru said that the transparency of any profession lies when work is done legally. She said, “Being a renowned detective and an inspiration for many, following illegal ways in process of case investigation, is unjustified. Rajani was known as a talented detective and had won many awards too. Pandit’s arrest is definitely a bad message for her admirers.”
“A person whom many consider as their idol must be very careful while discharging their duties and always exercise transparency and accountability. With a new twist in Rajani’s life, filmmakers of Tamil movie Kuttrapayirchi must incorporate her arrest incident too in the movie,” she added.
Pandit was picked up from her residence after one of the arrested detectives, Samresh Jha informed the police that he had sourced CDRs on her instructions and delivered it to her for lump sum amount. Rajani has played different roles like blind woman, maid servant, pregnant woman and street vendor to crack several cases.
