Snooping Tom spies on mom

*Suspecting that her father was having an affair with his secretary, 19-year-old Neha Khanna approached a detective. Within a week, her worst fears came true.
*Rahul Mehta, an engineering student, doubted that his father was secretive about the true financial status of the family. Hired by Rahul, an investigative agent compiled a list of the money his father owed to various people.
*Before leaving for the US, where she had secured admission to a university, Ekta Batra decided to resolve the never-ending fights between her parents.To squash the suspicions of her mother, Ekta hired a private detective, and with his help, proved that her father was not having an extra-marital affair.
It''s all happening. And it''s happening right here in Delhi. Because, in this age when people lead double lives, kids want to know what their parents are up to. Enter private detectives.
''''We have handled cases wherein teenagers have asked us to unearth details about their parents,'''' informs SD Sharma of Cabal Assurance and Detective Services, ''''I recently handled the case of a 19-year-old girl who suspected that another woman was behind her father ill-treating her mother. Her hunch was right — we even got photographs of the clandestine relationship.''''
Adds Sukhdeep Singh of Colonel Sohal Detective Services, ''''Recently, we handled the case of a schoolgirl who suspected that her father was having an affair with her tutor. Investigation revealed that her suspicions were baseless. The tutor is a happily married woman with a child.''''
With hi-tech gadgetry and innovative ideas scripting a twist in the investigative tale, the stage has been set for intra-family spying. But the question is: is this trend healthy?
According to psychiatrist Samir Parikh, MD, ''''Children of today''s generation are very resourceful and can go to any lengths to satisfy any doubts which distort the image of an ideal parent. But children should be encouraged to talk things out at home before taking the drastic step of seeking detective help.''''
In this context, Colonel Sudhir Sarin of Falcon Detective Services offers a case in point. ''''Recently, when a teenager sought our services to identify the ''bad'' company his father was keeping, we tracked down details, but also arranged a meeting with the boy''s grandfather. The matter was resolved within the family.''''
At a time when snooping has come to be part of behind-the-scenes activities, the instance of kids spying on parents has joined the list. But then, the home truth is that trust can go bust when Doubting Thomases play Sherlock Holmes.
divyavasisht@indiatimes.com