Rajani Pandit didn’t grow up watching Sherlock Holmes or James Bond. So when she was likened to the phenoms on the basis of being India’s first female detective, she had zero reference to context.
Pandit’s foray into the world of private investigation— a male-dominated field to be sure —was governed more by instinct than influence. A college classmate had begun to act a bit unhinged; and tracing her led to the discovery of her being embroiled in a prostitution racket. “I decided to inform her parents, who initially did not accept it but later thanked me for informing them. That was the turning point,” she told The New Indian Express.
The year was 1983 and a female detective, in India at least, was unheard of. Pandit’s father was a part of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), so some would call her inclination to solve crimes somewhat hereditary. However, when she began to pursue her passion as a plausible profession, her father had some misgivings. “Once my dad found out, he reminded me of how dangerous this profession is– but if he could do it, so could I!” she told Humans of Bombay in an interview.
By 1989, the stage was set, courtesy of the word-of-mouth publicity that was still prevalent in the ‘80s and, later, an interview by Doordarshan in the show Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin.
Cases started pouring in, from investigations around extramarital affairs to corporate espionage, economic crimes, missing persons, and even murder. In the 40 years since then, India’s first female detective went on to solve 75,000 crimes, authored two books (written in Marathi), had a documentary film made based on her life, and was even arrested. Here’s everything you need to know about her trailblazing life.
Meet India’s first female detective, who has solved over 75,000 cases, authored two books and has a film based on her life
Over 75,000 cases in 40 years
Pandit’s portfolio has long grown since that first case involving her classmate. Speaking to Humans of Bombay, she describes one of the toughest cases to be a murder investigation she had to go undercover for. The woman under investigation was someone suspected of having had both her husband and son murdered, and Pandit posed as a house help at her place for six whole months to unravel the mystery. “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!” she says.
