Youngest Female Detective Akriti Khatri Talks About her Journey

We have seen female detectives in the movies and TV shows from the 1990s, or maybe earlier if we look at the global scenario. But the trend was started by Rajni Pandit from Mumbai for real, whom I had the good fortune to interview. Enter Akriti Khatri. Today, this Youngest Female Detective Akriti Khatri Talks About her Journey, on our platform. Without much ado, let’s go to the interview.

How to handle stressful situations?

Stress is an unavoidable reality of life and being a detective it will never be less. Well, I take some time to think about the situation I’m going through. Having the right attitude will lead you to success, which I always believe in. We can’t always control what we are facing, but we do have a choice about how to face it. A positive attitude also boosts the problem solving that a stressful situation requires.What is your case success rate?I receive lots of cases on a daily basis. Some of them are fake, some are genuine, some just called for a time pass or some are curious to know how a detective works. Some people pressurize me to implicate someone by making a non-existent case. Such people have to be told that we are professional people. We have to work within limits and ethics. In such a situation, we also have to counsel our clients. If someone forces us too much, we patiently but firmly inform them that we cannot do it. We can’t take up everything because that can create problems for us too.

How difficult/easy was it for you to build an empire of your own?

In 2007, detective work was down and a woman working in this profession was not at all imaginable. Thus, I named my agency Venus, which depicts females. I’m the only agency having female detectives, which is working on such a big level.

Could you share any incident connected to a case with us?

I always believe in experiments, I did and am still doing. A case had come to us where a woman wanted the surveillance of her husband. We took up her case and started investigating. For the first few days, we just followed her husband to get some idea about his daily routine. One day, we found his behavior was not like before. We began suspecting him and our team continued to follow that man. We found that he was having an affair with a women. He had gone into a hotel with her. We informed his wife, immediately and caught them red handed.

Did you experience any challenges as the agency is majorly for females?

Late night work, no safety for working women while traveling, work life imbalance, equal pay, career opportunities, lack of family support, children and career conflicts are some challenges that we face as ladies in this field. being a female we face but now years of working experiences teach us how to manage in a corporate world.

How was the outcome of the very first case that you took up?

As we are dealing with humans, no two humans are the same; they can be similar but not the same. The outcomes varies from person to person. Usually, we get cases where people cheat on their partners, college students, honey trap and  initial level journalists also come to us. Sometimes the client wants to get investigations done to show proof to others that they did the same, So, that they are not caught as guilty.

What’s the longest time you have worked on a case?

I had a case of a model. It was her husband who gave the case. He told that they disappear for 3 hours after giving some excuse. He knew about her entire routine, but she only disappeared for 3 hours a day and  wanted the details of  where she went and what she was doing during that time. Now, on the basis of what he said, we cannot conclude decisively about what she did during that time. Unless you see her going to the same place 5-7 times, you cannot say that they go to that place regularly. So,  it took us 15-20 days to solve this case.

What was your most dangerous case?

I received a case from the parents for the surveillance of their daughter. They belonged to a middle class family but the attitude of their daughter forced them to take the help of us. If you want to understand a girl, first you have to make her your best friend. I sent to her one of my female detectives, who first became her friend and then best friend. After some time we found that she is under peer pressure and had begun to prefer luxurious items (like i-phone, watches, clothes). To fulfil her wishes, she had taken to drugs and prostitution.

We followed her daily and one evening we landed in a pub where the people were doing drugs and forcing others to do the same. One of the bouncers of the pub almost caught us and sent guards behind us. We ran for our lives and just got enough evidence to show her parents.

You have been projected as the only female detective in India. In the 1990s, I had interviewed a senior female detective, Rajni Pandit, who was considered to be the only female detective in India at that time. She hasn’t retired as yet. In the given situation, can you really consider yourself as the only female detective in India?

To be very honest I do not consider myself the only female detective in India. Certainly, I am aware that Rajni Pandit was the country’s first female detective. I admire her work immensely. Nevertheless, I consider myself the youngest female working to give the forsaken women support and help them so that they can escape the societal boundaries created by the patriarchy. Venus Detective is my agency and I am the youngest female detective in India.