With political, economic and common criminality on the upswing, this ill wind is blowing well for the new genre of private detectives whose number is multiplying across the country 

Though crime detection and unmasking of the ungodly as a career fitted the legendary fictional detective Sherlock Holmes as naturally as his cape and deer-stalker cap, like Holmes, the contemporary sleuth requires an inquisitive nose, an analytical mindset, a eye for detail and increasingly techno-philia, to succeed in the gumshoeing business. For people with these skill sets sleuthing could prove to be a challenging and profitable 21st century career.

Regrettably political, economic and common criminality is on the upswing. But this ill wind is blowing well for the rapidly multiplying number of private detective agencies across the country. During the past decade in particular, detective agencies have proliferated particularly in metros like Mumbai, where the market for detective services is growing fast and margins are high despite intensifying competition. Currently 23 Mumbai-based detec-tive agencies have established internet websites.

The work of detective agencies is becoming increasingly diverse. Though they continue to discharge their traditional functions — tracing missing persons, shadowing suspect spouses, investigating the histories of prospective business partners and post-marital cases for determining alimony — their corporate client portfolios are becoming incrementally important. Increasingly, private detectives are being engaged to investigate business fraud, keep an eye on employees, check prospective employees, track loan defaulters, verify the assets of prospective acquisitions, and ascertain the credibility of Indian companies with whom offshore multinationals are contemplating colla-boration. Moreover offshore employers frequently use Indian agencies to verify Indian job applicants’ backgrounds and qualifications.

“Tremendous growth in this line of business is in the offing given the continuous erosion of moral values in society, business and industry. The belated dawning of the consumer age and the consequent desire to get rich quick has led to a sharp increase in fraud crimes which has increased the workload of detective agencies. And with police personnel becoming increasingly apat-hetic, private agencies will mushroom,” predicts ace detective Lt. Col (Retd.) Vasant Vaikunth Pai, zonal advisor to the oldest private detective firm in the country, Globe Detective Agency (P) Ltd. As zonal advisor Pai supervises the sleuthing activities of the agency in western India, including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.

Promoted in 1959, Globe Detective Agency has a registered office in Delhi, a corporate office in Bangalore, its western zone and national headquarters in Mumbai and 20 branch offices across India covering all metros and major towns. “Over the past 45 years we have evolved our own style and systems of data collection and case summaries. Essentially we gather information and data which our clients cannot acquire themselves. And it’s a measure of our efficiency that the majority in our growing client list are long-standing repeat customers,” says Pai.

After graduating from Bombay University in 1961, Pai joined the Mumbai police force and received 18 months training at the Central Police Training School in Nasik, after which he was posted as a sub-inspector in Mumbai. In 1964, he was recruited by the Armed Forces Emergency Commission as a commissioned officer of the Indian Army in the rank of second lieutenant. Within a few years he was granted a permanent commission. After his retirement from the army in 1991, he signed up with Globe.

With over a decade’s experience in the sleuthing business, Pai believes this is a viable career option which needs the support of society and Indian industry in particular. In his opinion the qualities and aptitudes required for success in this off-the-beaten track profession are a graduate degree, an eye for detail, commonsense, the ability to grasp developments quickly, presence of mind, patience and self-confidence. “In western countries, there are private academies to train detectives. For example, Scotland is famous for such academies, where students train to become detectives. Unfortunately in India, there’s no institution providing formal training in crime detection. All that’s available is on-the-job training,” laments Pai.

According to him, currently Globe has over 200 private investigators on its payroll. And contrary to the norm in the service sector, the pay is good. Within two-three years a junior detective can earn as much as Rs.20,000 per month and at the senior level, around Rs.50,000. “We need many more youngsters to view crime detection as a serious profession. True, detective work can be hard and often dangerous, but it can be very interesting because it is varied and mentally stimulating. Right now there is a grave shortage of young detectives because few youngsters regard it a serious profession. There’s a need for formal education in this field to attract more talent. The main users of our services — corporates — need to get together and promote an academy to provide formal training and skills to aspiring detectives. This will popularise this career option,” says Pai.

Zooming crime graphs in urban, even if not in rural India as yet, are evidence of the nation’s under-trained and ill-educated keystone cops’ inability to cope with the newly emergent tribe of sophisticated criminals. Therefore the obvious antidote to the rising tide of criminality is a supplementary law and order force. Enter, the new genre of private detectives. May their tribe increase.

Indra Gidwani