Rajani Pandit

Rajani Pandit (born 1962) is an Indian private investigator and entrepreneur from Maharashtra. Credited as the first female detective in India, in 1986 she started the Rajani Investigative Bureau, which by 2010 had grown to employ a staff of 30 detectives. Her firm primarily handles cases involving marital issues or suspected affairs, but also investigates missing persons, murder, and corporate espionage, and conducts background checks of political candidates. Pandit has authored two Marathi books on her experiences, Faces Behind Faces and Mayajal, and was the subject of the documentary Lady James Bond.

In February 2018, Pandit was among several Indian private investigators arrested by police in connection with an alleged scam involving the illegal sale and purchase of call data records. She was released on bail after 40 days and denied all wrong-doing.

Early life Rajani Pandit was born in 1962 in the state of Maharashtra, in either Mumbai or Palghar of the Thane district. She grew up in a middle-class family Her father, Shantaram Pandit, worked as a sub-inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department of the local police department.

From a young age, Pandit showed a strong sense of curiosity. When she was eight or nine, she approached the body of a woman who had died in her apartment block in order to check if she was really dead, In 1983, she was concerned by the actions of a female classmate who was drinking, smoking and visiting hotel rooms with boys, so she provided the parents of the girl with photographic evidence. While initially taken aback, they afterwards suggested she become a detective. Pandit's father expressed skepticism at her choice of career, but her mother supported her. and from the beginning she had to navigate challenges of local misogyny, with one newspaper refusing to print her advertisement because the editors did not believe a woman could be a private detective. She has continued to helm the business, meeting with all clients personally and overseeing the progress of cases. Pandit has written two Marathi books about her experiences as a private investigator, describing fictionalized versions of cases in Faces Behind Faces and Mayajal. Police alleged that Pandit had been obtaining CDRs for a significant length of time and suggested that she may have used the information for the purpose of extortion. Her lawyer told the press that while Pandit had possession of an email containing two CDRs, there was no evidence that she had intentionally sought out this data, and no victims or witnesses had come forward to claim damage from Pandit's actions.

Awards and recognition Pandit has received the Hirkani award, which honours women's achievements, from public service broadcaster Doordarshan. She is the subject of a documentary film by Dinkar Rao, entitled Lady James Bond.

A thriller based on her life, titled Kuttrapayirchi, has the actress Trisha playing the role of Pandit. The Tamil-language film was scheduled to go into pre-production in early 2018.

Personal life As of 2018, Pandit was living near Shivaji Park in Mumbai with her mother and two brothers. She is unmarried, preferring to avoid being divided between family and work.