As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Sunday, 2 March 2014

Parrot rats on killer, murder solved

Thursday, 27 February 2014 - 6:00am IST | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA
Deepak Gidwani

Singing like a bird took on a different meaning and turned two killers into jailbirds when a pet talking-parrot in Agra helped the police "identify" a murderer. The bird proved worthy of its name, Heera (diamond), and the UP Police commended it, saying the parrot helped them crack the murder case.

Neelam Sharma, wife of Vijay Sharma, editor of a local Hindi newspaper, was found murdered at her home in Balkeshwar locality of Agra on February 20. She was alone at home as Vijay and their children had gone for a wedding to neighbouring Firozabad. Vijay returned to find his wife and their pet dog Tuffy stabbed to death while cash, jewellery and other valuables were missing from the house. The police investigations ran into a blind alley as there were no suspects or evidence to nail the killers.

Initially, a milk-seller who had mediated a land deal between Vijay and a buyer was interrogated, but it provided no clue about the crime. The family members, however, got suspicious after noticing a change in the behaviour of their pet parrot. "Heera sulked whenever Ashutosh (Vijay's nephew) came home or passed by its cage," said Vijay's brother Ajay Sharma. "The parrot would also start behaving strangely whenever somebody took Ashutosh's name," he added.

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