Best Spy Camera Shop in Delhi India

People come to us as a last resort, when they’ve tried everything and failed. So we call the store our private thana.” With his spiky gelled hair and preppy sweater, Parminder Singh doesn’t look particularly like James Bond or George Smiley. But he claims his “thana” in Shadipur is “Asia’s first official and fully legal spy store”. If you’ve ever watched a 007 or Charlie’s Angels flick and dreamt of becoming a secret agent, Spy Store makes available all the devices of the trade. The range of spy instruments here – numbering more than 400 – include pen cameras, key-ring cameras, wall clock cameras with remotes, wall listening devices, watch cameras, 3G photo frame cameras, can cameras and many more cuttingedge permutations. There’s even a painting of Krishna with a camera hidden in his peacock feather. “CCTVs are a thing of the past,” Singh told us. “Nobody wants to invest in them now.”

The Spy Store opened on the main Patel Nagar road six months ago and is still semi-furnished, but Singh’s original office was in a gali behind the store. People driving by initially used to see just a mysterious sign that said “spy cameras available here”.

Parminder conceived of the idea of starting a spy store when he himself wanted to conduct a “sting operation” and was looking for a pocket camera online. When he couldn’t find a reliable source or a guaranteed product, he decided to open a store that would sell surveillance gadgets legally. Singh started small, selling landline recorders – the first of their kind to be sold in India. This was 12 years ago, and today business is booming. Many people who come for just a look end up buying something.

The customers have varied needs. Parminder explained, “Working people want to know what their maids are doing while they are in office. If businessmen go on frequent trips, they want to know what their workers are doing behind their backs. Many times it’s just a means to collect evidence to reinforce an ongoing court case.” Singh lists Star News, India TV, Aaj Tak and other news channels among his clients; his shop is also patronised by many government agencies. The products are procured from registered vendors and imported from London, Hong Kong, China, Israel and elsewhere. They cost, depending on complexity, anything from R4,000 to R4 lakh.

We asked if there have been instances of products being misused. Singh told us that the police have occasionally come and asked if he sold a certain piece of equipment. “We show them all our records and the receipt. We merely provide the product. We don’t offer the service or install it for the customers,” he said, adding, “but there are also cases when thieves have been caught.”

Singh hopes his products help people in tricky situations. He said he plans to put a new board up soon: “Justice for sale”.
Spy Store 2162/29, Guru Arjun Nagar, Main Patel Nagar Road 91+ 11 2570 2442,+91 98112 51277; www.spydelhi.in Shadipur. Daily 10am-9pm.