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The question of who murdered Neelam Sharma, 45, and her pet dog, had been baffling the city police for almost a week till they got a clue provided by Hercule, the parrot.
Neelam, wife of Vijay Sharma, the editor of a Hindi daily, was found murdered at her residence on February 20. Her husband noticed a change in the behaviour of the parrot whenever his nephew Ashutosh visited their house after the murder.
"During discussions too, whenever Ashutosh's name was mentioned, the parrot would start screeching. This raised my suspicion and I informed the police," said Sharma.
SSP Agra, Shalabh Mathur, told TOI that Ashutosh confessed to the crime on being interrogated.
"We checked his call details and took him in custody. He accepted his crime and informed us that he was accompanied by an accomplice. They had entered the house with the intention of taking away cash and other valuables."
Afraid that his aunt might recognize him, he stabbed her as well as the dog when he started barking. But he hadn't accounted for the parrot who was watching silently.
Thanks to:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Talking-parrot-helps-UP-Police-crack-murder-case/articleshow/31057661.cms
Hercule the Parrot helps solve murder case
A parrot has helped Indian police solve its owner's murder.
Neelam Sharma, the wife of the editor of a Hindi daily newspaper, was killed in her home in Agra, 120 miles from New Delhi, together with her pet dog. The police had no initial leads on the murder, until the parrot, named Hercule, provided a key clue.
Vijay Sharma, Neelam’s husband, picked up on the fact that whenever his nephew visited, Hercule would start screeching. The parrot would even respond when the nephew’s name "Ashutosh" was mentioned in conversation. Sharma alerted the police to his suspicions, who interrogated the newly found suspect. Ashutosh confessed, telling the police he had entered the home with an accomplice in order to steal money and valuables and had been caught in the act by his aunt. Afraid that she would recognise him, he stabbed her to death. He also stabbed and killed her dog, which wouldn’t stop barking.
Unfortunately for him, he didn’t take the parrot into account. Hercule had kept his mouth wisely shut during the murder, only to open it later to reveal the truth.
Thanks To:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/parrot-helps-solve-murder-case-9158425.html
