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Undercover in Mumbai: The 'Lady James Bond' of India

Rajani Pandit defied social norms to become India's first female private detective at a time when it was practically unheard of for women to enter the field.

Growing up in Mumbai in the 1960s, Rajani Pandit was always fascinated with finding out the 'truth behind the surface' of the world around her. Although this natural curiosity would often land her in trouble as a young woman in a traditional society, Rajani wouldn't be deterred, defying social norms to forge a career as India's first female private detective. From marital problems to murder, Rajani's Investigative Bureau has cracked thousands of cases across Mumbai, earning her the nickname the 'Lady James Bond' of India.

When Hussain Zaidi started his journalistic career, his home city of Mumbai was caught up in a vicious mafia war. The men who ran the gangs wielded huge power over business, smuggling and the entertainment industry. As they fought for dominance the body count rose. Hussain was a crime reporter and he wanted to get the whole story, and so he embarked on a high risk mission to track down and interview the most dangerous criminals in the city. Eventually, his work would lead him to the most famous don of them all, Dawood Ibrahim. (This interview was first broadcast in 2019)

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Zoe Gelber

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Rajani Pandit. Credit: Indranil Mukherjee / Getty)

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41 minutes

Last on

Tue 15 Apr 2025 02:06GMT

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