The Delhi Detective Who Lets People Think She바카라�s An Astrologer | Women's Day Special

Bhavna Paliwal is all smiles as she leans back on her black leather executive chair. She hasn바카라�t slept in 24 hours, having tracked a suspect across the hills near Delhi. 바카라�That바카라�s the nature of a private detective바카라�s job바카라�one minute you are having chaat with the family, the next you바카라�re chasing a man whose wife suspects him of having an affair,바카라� she says.

Despite the complaint, Paliwal loves her job. This is evident from the ease with which she occupies her chair in her office, the gusto with which she laughs at the stories she tells.

The sign outside her two-room office in Pitampura says 바카라�astrologer.바카라� She prefers the mystery. 바카라�Ours isn바카라�t a profession in which we tell people what we do. It suits me that everyone in this place thinks I바카라�m an astrologer; it바카라�s best if they don바카라�t know I am a detective,바카라� she explains.

Starting in the field was not easy though.

Paliwal always knew she wanted to do something different with her life. That is all she was sure of when she moved to Delhi as a 21-year-old. After studying journalism, she began working in the newspaper, These Days, but that was only a month-and a-half stint. She didn바카라�t enjoy working under an editor. Then she spotted an advertisement saying the Times Detective Agency was looking for female and male detectives.

Why did she pick such an unusual profession? 바카라�I was always inspired by Kiran Bedi, the first woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS). I바카라�d see her on television and in the news as a child. I wanted to be like her. I wanted people to take notice of me,바카라� she replies.

Her first case was unnerving as well as a useful lesson. Her senior Pradeep Sharma sent her to a housing society to find out if a woman had opted for a second marriage. While she was sleuthing in what she thought was a covert manner, the woman바카라�s father came up to her and asked who had sent her. He, as it turned out, was a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer. Paliwal remembers she was caught off-guard by this fact. But she thought, 바카라�If I get scared now, I바카라�ll always be scared.바카라� She twisted her words around and showed him her student ID card to convince him she hadn바카라�t been sent by anyone. 바카라�I don바카라�t know if he believed me but I did find out that the woman had got married a second time. And then I got out of there,바카라� she laughs.

After that, she never looked back. Pradeep Sharma mentored her in the Times Detective Agency. In a couple of years, she found herself handling all the cases that women brought in. These included cases regarding cheating spouses.

바카라�Women are worried sharing their personal details with male detectives바카라�they바카라�re scared it will be used to blackmail them바카라�and feel more comfortable talking to another woman,바카라� she explains. Fast forward a few more years and Paliwal was heading the Times Agency바카라�s women바카라�s cell.

Her family was not in the know about her work. 바카라�I told them I got a desk job at a detective agency, but I didn바카라�t say I was on the field,바카라� she says. When Hindustan Times ran a profile of her, her family found out the truth through the newspaper. She recalls walking into the living room and her brother teasing her about it. 바카라�I understood that they had seen the paper. I hadn바카라�t even told them about the profile,바카라� she remembers.

Her family was supportive, says Paliwal. 바카라�They just laughed and said I should have told them and that as long as I was doing a job I enjoyed, they didn바카라�t care.바카라�

Paliwal says the male detectives often chastised female detectives, calling them useless or saying that women can바카라�t investigate. 바카라�In my experience, women are the best investigators because we already have a grip on the art of gossip. We share information willingly with other women, and we are good at getting people to share information,바카라� she says.

Since there바카라�s no specific training or course for anyone wishing to be a detective, Paliwal says that you need a good mentor to break into the profession. She credits Sharma as hers. 바카라�Had he not taken a chance on me, a young girl, I wouldn바카라�t have been able to break through and I am grateful for that.바카라�

With little training in self-defence, Paliwal, who is 5바카라�4 in heels, relies on chilli/pepper spray and small knives, which she always carries with her, for her safety. Earlier she would carry a taser, but tasers have since been outlawed.

Her biggest grouse with her job right now is that there are a lot of cases in which 바카라�women are tricking Indian Administrative Service officers and such into marrying them or blackmailing these officers.바카라� She says she feels guilty when she investigates such cases. 바카라�It doesn바카라�t feel good knowing women are doing this,바카라� she explains.

Avantika Mehta is a senior associate editor based out of New Delhi

(This article is a part of Outlook's March 11, 2025 Women's Day special issue 'Women at Work', which explores the experiences of women in roles traditionally occupied by men. It appeared in print as 'Mystery Woman')