Pubdate: Sun, 05 Aug 2012
Source: Indian Express, The (India)
Copyright: 2012 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.expressindia.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1980
Author: Sanjna Sudan

PARENTS HIRING SLEUTHS TO TRACK KIDS

Chandigarh - Even as new generation parents are perceived as "open
minded" and relatively more friendly with their children than the
older generation parents, the levels of concern among the former seem
to be greater. In fact, the level of suspicion among parents has gone
so high that many of them have started hiring private detectives to
keep a tab on their children's lifestyle.

Speaking to Newsline, Gautum Giri, who heads agency Sharp Detectives
in Sector 34, Chandigarh, noted that the fear of indulgence in bad
company, drug addiction and intoxication by children are the common
concerns of parents. "Parents are usually suspicious that their
children may be in bad company, or want to know about the girl friend
or boy friend they have, drug or alcohol abuse" said N K Bhatnagar,
chandigarh circle manager of Greves Protection, a Delhi-based agency.

Sharing an instance while citing the concerns among parents, Giri
said, "A parent recently told us that his son has been buying a number
of expensive items like two-wheelers, expensive clothes and lavishly
spending money on friends, on his own. The source of this money was
totally unknown to the parent."

He added, "As the parents approached us, we found out that the boy was
being misguided by a Delhi based drug peddler for supplying drugs
among college-going children. This being every parent's fear, we
supplied the required proof also. The parents in turn approached the
police who took up the matter very seriously and stopped his
activities forth with. The boy was later admitted to a rehabilitation
centre".

Vijay Singh Bharadwaj, a certified international investigator and
owner of Brownsheild Detectives Group in Sector 43, Chandigarh, said,
"We have recently seen a rise in parents from neighbouring State,
hiring detectives to snoop on their daughters whom they have sent to
study in the UT. Most of the cases we get these days are related to
girls who live as paying guests in the city and study at PU"

On the other hand, one of the parents disclosed that detective
agencies are being hired to keep a check on their children. "We had
hired a private detective recently, to check on our daughter whom we
had sent to Chandigarh to study. Once her college got over we wanted
her to marry. But we were surprised at her strong aversion to the
institution. She started behaving rudely," said Samarth Singh (name
changed) a businessman from Bathinda.

As Singh hired a private detective he learnt his daughter was having
an affair with a boy five years younger to her. Living as a paying
guest in Chandigarh, she had started giving tuitions to school going
children, where she met him. "We were shocked when we got to know
this. She wanted to marry him. However, the agency people counselled
her and we've got her home" said Singh.

These agencies take up the case by charging a fee ranging between Rs.
10,000 and Rs 50,000 on an average. Private investigators also noted
that it's the college going kids who give their parents a miserable
time.
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MAP posted-by: Matt