Been there, done that? Big Bro may be watching you
VIBHA VERMA
PANJIM, OCT 13
If you are holidaying in Goa even after seeking permission from your husband, there might be a possibility that a ‘secret eye’ is keeping a track of your movements here.
Cases where detectives are used to spy on spouses holidaying with their friends in Goa, settling business issues or even checking iron ore pilferage has been on the rise in the State.
Detective agencies feel that there is at least 15 per cent rise in the number of cases entertained by them annually even as the profile of cases were getting varied.
“We have people from Delhi, Mumbai and other metros whose wives usually come down here on a business trip or holiday with their peers. Though husbands allow them to go on a holiday, many a times, they assign detective agencies a job to keep a watch on them”, Cobra Detective Agency Managing Director W Fernandes said.
The detectives who track and video shoot the movements of their ‘subject’ provide CD proof to the customer at the end of the assignment.
“We don’t lie. We give all the information that we collect. We handle the job professionally”, he said.
With Goa’s image having taken a beating over drugs, rapes and sex, people get suspicious when their kin is here on a visit.
A senior official with a detective agency, who wished to remain anonymous, said they even use spy cams to check the movement of the person they are assigned to keep a tab.
“We are not interested in busting rave parties though we video shoot at times. Our aim is to get minute to minute account of the person whom we are spying”, he said.
Alike Cobra, there are few other agencies who take this professional task and handle it scientifically.
Many agencies refused to talk as according to them it sounds unprofessional to talk about the business which involves confidentiality and trust.
In the past, detective agencies used to partner with Goa police in tracking down the cases. But off late, police are doing the job themselves.
“May be it’s an ego issue. There are cases which we have busted quicker than Goa police”, he said.
Cases like checking the antecedents of a person before accepting the wedding proposal or before employing someone are also on rise in the State.
“There are cases in which people from outside the State bring fake certificates. We verify these for the employer”, he said.
The agencies are now having a non-conventional task at their hand in Goa. With the iron ore pilferage giving mining firms a run for their money, detectives are also employed to track down the rogue truck operators.
Fernandes said that the evidence collected by detective agencies stands valid in courts and hence there are several lawyers who ask us to spy on behalf of their clients.
