Madam Valli is claiming in a lawsuit that she was traumatised by an alleged exorcism at Novena Church in 2004. Among other things, she says she is fearful of going out and being alone.

But private investigator Gilbert Mathews De Silva and his team, who followed her for more than four months last year, got footage of her doing just that.

His firm, SecureGuard Security Services, was hired by lawyer Tito Isaac, who is representing a priest named in the lawsuit.

In all, the investigators got more than 700 hours of footage. It came from hand-held camcorders and closed-circuit television cameras mounted opposite her Ang Mo Kio flat.

Excerpts of the footage were shown in court to Madam Valli's two psychiatrists as lawyers for the defendants tried to prove that she was exaggerating her condition.

In the video, she is seen breezing through household chores and working out in the gym.

She was also spotted going to temples and restaurants dressed in brightly coloured clothes and wearing make-up. Sometimes, she was accompanied by Mr Resham Singh, whom she calls her 'brother' but whom a former neighbour believed was her lover.

Her doctors have stood by their diagnoses that she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the church incident. They said that her disability is mental, not physical, and that her condition fluctuates.

Her current psychiatrist, Dr Angelina Chan, said she was happy to see her patient out and about, calling it a positive sign.

Yesterday, Mr De Silva said Madam Valli usually went about her daily activities normally. The only time she seemed anxious was on her hospital visits - she walked slowly, wore pyjamas and eschewed make-up.

Madam Valli's lawyer, Mr R.S. Bajwa, attacked Mr De Silva's professionalism, pointing out that the private investigator labelled the surveillance video with the words 'Psycho Lady'.

Mr Bajwa also took issue with a 20-minute clip of Madam Valli walking alone.

The lawyer said she had joined her daughter on the other side of the road but the private investigator had conveniently left this out.

Mr De Silva explained that at the time, he was picking up his schoolteacher wife, but spotted Madam Valli and decided to grab his camcorder and tail her. He said he later lost her in the crowd at the MRT station.

When Mr Bajwa said that his story about losing her sounded far-fetched, Mr De Silva replied that even the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation loses its targets.

selinal@sph.com.sg