“I was in college when I solved my first case,” reveals Rajani Pandit, who is regarded as India’s first woman private investigator. In a post shared on the Humans of Bombay Facebook page, Ms Pandit speaks about her toughest case, how she started her career and the challenges of being a woman private investigator. The post, since being shared online 17 hours ago, has gone viral with over 14,000 reactions and 1,000 ‘shares’.
Describing herself as a “homegrown, desi Sherlock”, Ms Pandit begins by talking about the first case she ever solved as a 22-year-old and how her fame grew after that through word-of-mouth publicity.
The most interesting bit of her Facebook post comes when she talks about what she describes as her toughest case – one that involved a double murder and required her to go undercover as a maid to solve it.
“For 6 months, I went undercover as a maid to live with the woman who was suspected of being the murderer,” says Ms Pandit.
“But once, during pin-drop silence, my recorder made a ‘click’ sound. And that’s when she started doubting me. She refrained me from going out at all.”
To find out how she solved the case, read Ms Pandit’s full post below:
“I was in college when I solved my first case. I worked part time in my first-year as an office clerk. A woman who I worked with told me about the thefts in her house. She had her eyes on her new daughter-in-law, but had no proof. So I offered to investigate.
I was always a curious person–with my father in CID, I had learned the art of a thorough investigation. I set up a watch across the street. I found out that this lady’s son was actually the thief. When questioned, he admitted to the thefts… after that, my career took off! I was 22 years old when I started.
Through word of mouth, people started tracking me down to help them solve their cases. I was approached by news channels and papers–I became India’s first female detective–it was unheard of! And it’s a tough job, my parents didn’t even know until much later!
Once my dad found out, he reminded me of how dangerous this profession is– but if he could do it, so could I! So I continued with my investigations. I was married to my job. I just never had the time or desire to start a family.
My toughest case was gathering proof for a murder investigation. Both the husband and the son were murdered, but with no proof as to who did it. For 6 months, I went undercover as a maid to live with the woman who was suspected of being the murderer. When she fell sick, I took care of her and gained her trust slowly. But once, during pin-drop silence, my recorder made a ‘click’ sound. And that’s when she started doubting me. She refrained me from going out at all.
Then one day, the hitman who she hired, came to pay her a visit. That’s when I knew it was my chance. So I cut my foot with a knife and told them that I had to go out to get bandaged. I ran out, went to an STD booth and called the client to come home with the police. They were both arrested that day!
I’ve solved around 80,000 cases since. I’ve written two books, won countless awards and been featured by news channels. I’ve also received a few threats here and there–but my work is clean, my mind is clear and my courage is unwavering. But most of all…I’m a homegrown, desi Sherlock — how’s that for a Resumé opener?”
Since being shared online, the post has collected a ton of comments praising the detective.
“Bollywood should make a film on her!” writes one person in the comments section. “She is my idol now. I always wanted to be a detective,” says another.
“I’ve solved around 80,000 cases since. I’ve written two books, won countless awards and been featured by news channels… But most of all…I’m a homegrown, desi Sherlock — how’s that for a resume opener?” concludes Ms Pandit.
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