The new Mata Hari...

Mon, May 12 12:35 AM

Sujata (name changed on request), 20, is brimming with energy. It is not her studies (she is pursuing a BSc from South Campus) or the fact that she can speak fluent English that is giving her a definite high.

It is the excitement of her part-time job.

that of a detective.

Yes, you read right. Detective.

According to her there are many others girls of her age who are in this profession. But she doesn't want to speak about them.

"In our profession, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing," she announces in true detective style. Growing demand: With the demand for detective intervention increasing in the city's schools and colleges, a large number of students from Delhi's campuses are being picked up to act as part time detectives.

Explaining the trend, Sanjay Singh of Indian Detective Agency says, "Campus detectives generally study in a college, so it's easy for them to enter campuses (our main difficulty). All they have to do is study and observe a person's actions.

" Woman power: According to detective agencies one in every five detectives in Delhi is a woman. They also agree that the level of involvement of young girls, in particular, has increased.

Says Baldev Puri of AMX Detectives, "Girls, especially those from upper middle class families, have proven very useful. They are adventurous and don't really mind going to different places for investigation.

" Kumar adds that these students are trained to keep their job a secret Ashish Mathur of Trident Detective Agency, however, feels that the family should be kept in the loop. "In cases where the family members aren't informed, the candidate generally backs out from the job, especially girls.

" Most campus detectives earn a small amount; Rs 5,000 is touted as the maximum money offered to a campus detective. "Most of them tend to see it as allowance," says Brawn Palatal of Times Detective Agency.

The fact that it adds to the excitement is added incentive.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY