Master of disguise, 'Lady James Bond': India's first female detective, Rajani Pandit

There are few people who have not heard of famous detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, but how many know about India's first female detective? Rajani Pandit, a Maharashtra native, disguised herself as a maid, a street vendor, and a pregnant woman to solve some of the country's most bizarre cases.

Rajani Pandit established herself in a male-dominated field. In an interview with a national media outlet, she revealed that she took her first step in this field by exposing her friend's secret during her college days. Rajani noticed a change in her friend's behaviour. Upon further investigation, Rajani discovered that her friend was involved in a sex racket. Rajani said that she decided to inform her friend's family about the matter, but she objected. Rajani said in the interview that the turning point was when they thanked her later for informing them.

Rajani entered the field in 1983 at a time when no one had even thought of the idea of ​​a woman detective. Rajani's father was a sub-inspector in the Crime Investigation Department (CID). Hearing her daughter's wish, her father hesitated, but Rajani was determined that if her father could do it, she could too. She ignored the ridicule and mockery of those around her. Rajani kept proving her talent in her field. Rajani's fame increased by 1989. She was made more prominent by her appearance in the popular Doordarshan show 'Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi'. With her participation in a single show, Rajani's work doubled. These included illicit affairs, missing cases, business frauds, financial problems, murders, etc.

In 1986, Rajani started her own firm called 'Rajani Investigation Bureau'. Later, it was renamed 'Rajani Pandit Detective Services'. By 2010, the number of detectives in Rajani's company had increased to 30. Rajani has solved 75,000 cases in four decades. Apart from this, she has also written two books called 'Faces Behind Faces' and 'Mayajaal'. In 2019, director Dinakar Rao made a documentary about Rajani Pandit titled 'Lady James Bond'.