Spies tell parents if kids are 'straight'

When 18-year-old Samarth Gupta (name changed) cosied up with a 25-year-old son of a family friend during last Holi party at their plush farmhouse in Mehrauli, his behaviour didn't go unnoticed by the family.

21-year-old Suhaan Chadha had withdrawn from all social and family activities. He had earlier grappled with drug problem but this time he was 'smitten' with a male friend, closeness with whom was raising eyebrows of his parents.

Chadhas and Guptas, riddled with anxiety and speculation, are defining a new trend in spying. Taking cue from "tell tale" signs shown by their kids, they are employing services of private detectives to snoop on their children's sexual orientation. Pre-marital scrutiny and spying on spouses to catch a whiff of an affair are all passé as private investigators find many like them walk into their office every few weeks, seeking their services to find if their child is "straight".

However, in the past two years, there has been a spurt in such cases, with some spies even claiming that around 15-20 per cent cases (annually) constitute of paranoid parents trying to find out why their child's behaviour is "weird".

Akash Saxena of Top Shield Security and Investigation shares how he was taken aback two years ago when he was approached by a doctor couple to trail their son and find out about his activities because he refused to get married.

"I was surprised that someone could seek our services to know their child's sexual orientation," he says.

"But since 2015 when we handled the first case, there has been an increase," Saxena adds.

But, what rings the warning bell? "The biggest red flag is when the child starts scuttling marriage on one pretext or the other. His/her social behaviour, too, is interpreted as an indication. For instance, if the son is spending too much time with a particular friend or at parties hangs out only with men, parents see red," Ajit Singh of Hatfield Detectives, who has been in the trade for the past three decades, says.

Interestingly, it's not just suspecting parents availing these services. Frequent travelling by husbands has now started to cast a shadow of doubt in wives, especially when they have a male subordinate in tow. "It has become fashionable to have EAs (Executive Assistant) in the corporate world. Women have come to us to know if their husband is having an affair with his male subordinate. It is not the woman secretary who is a threat to wives these days. The men now pose a bigger risk," Saxena says. Singh adds that in cases where marriages have not been consummated, girls and her parents have asked them to sniff around and find out if the man is a homosexual. "In fact, now-a-days in pre-marital scrutiny, sexual orientation tops the list," he states matter of factly.

From tailing them in gymnasiums and clubs to gathering photographs and credit card history, the local Sherlock Holmes also often find themselves acting as counsellors to parents, couples and children. Most of these cases come from the swish set of South and Central Delhi who make it clear to the spies in the beginning how their "reputation is at stake".

A woman detective who did not wish to be named, says, "Parents know already. We just confirm their worst fears and more often than not, we end up counseling them because they worry about social stigma, but later accept it grudgingly."