Post no 877 dated 1st March 2014

News Story from London Metro News paper:

“ It looked like the perfect murder: a woman found dead in her home, no clues and no witnesses. Well, no human witnesses, at least.

But the killer of 45-year-old Neelam Sharma will end up doing some bird after all as the case was cracked by the victim’s pet parrot, nicknamed Hercule (Hira is the correct name. See below: swami).

The mystery started when journalist Vijay Sharma came home to find his wife and pet dog dead.
The only survivor was the parrot, who had been stunned into silence by what he saw at the home in Agra, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Sharma thought he would never have justice… until a visit from his nephew Ashutosh, who seemed to ruffle a few feathers.

‘The parrot that was unusually quiet suddenly started shrieking and flapping around the cage,’ said Mr Sharma, editor of a Hindi daily newspaper.

‘It was clearly distressed about something and only calmed down when Ashutosh left. Then when I spoke to other people, every time I mentioned Ashutosh’s name the parrot would start screeching.
‘This made me really suspicious and I decided to call the police.’

The police, acting on parrot’s tip-off, checked on Ashutosh’s phone records before arresting him.
And before long, he was singing like a canary.

‘He said that he had gone with a friend to his uncle’s house with the intention of stealing and was surprised by his aunt, who they had killed because they were worried she would have identified them to police,’ said Agra police spokesman Shalabh Mathur.

‘They had then robbed the place before fleeing.
‘He admitted he had also killed the dog, thinking it could be used in an identity parade against him, but had not thought about killing the parrot which had been silent in its cage.’

Metro News Paper, London 28th February 2014

(London news papers reported the Parrot’s name as Hercule, but it is actually Hira; I have given below the following clarification from an Indian news paper)

London News papers compared this parrot with Hercule Poirot (Detective in Agatha Christie’s novel), punning with the words Parrot and Poirot, but later Indian newspapers clarified that the role of the parrot in this murder case is minor. More over the name of the parrot is not Hercule, (as reported in London news papers) but Hera. Any how he is a Hero now!

1st March, The Indian Express (India) adds

So where does Hira come in?

According to Sharma, his daughters, along with a local reporter, decided to “confirm” the police’s findings with the parrot. “My mother was very attached to Hira. He has been with us for over two decades. We took the names of all the people in the house in front of him, including my brother, the milkman, and my cousin Ashutosh. Hira started squawking when we took Ashutosh’s name,” Pallavi, one of Sharma’s daughters, said.

According to Sharma, the parrot’s contribution to the case was limited to only “reacting excitedly” to Ashutosh’s name. Pallavi, however, insisted that Hira “nodded when I took Ashu’s name”.

Please read the following stories posted earlier:

Post 813 மான் குட்டிக்குப் பால் கொடுத்த புலி ! Date 2-2-14
Post 814 Tigers and Deer—Friends in Hindu World ! Date 2-2-14

13 Saints in Nature!
இயற்கை போதிக்கும் 13 பாடங்கள்
Dogs at Sringeri and Kanchi Mutts

Hindu Eagle Mystery deepens
INDIAN CROW by Mark Twain
Can Humans communicate with Animals?
Birds for finding Direction: Sumer to Tamil Nadu via Indus Valley
Donkeys in Tamil and Sanskrit Literature

Amazing Andal: Where did she see the Lion?
Vedic Dog and Church Dog
The Great Scorpion Mystery in History-1
Who rides what Vahana (Animal or Bird)?

வேத நாயும் மாதா கோவில் நாயும்
தேள்— ஒரு மர்ம தெய்வம்!

Mysterious Messengers for Ajanta, Angkor Wat and Sringeri
The Mysterious Vedic Homa Bird: Does It Exist?
Gajalakshmi in Kalidasa and Tamil Literature
Bird Migration in Kalidasa and Sangam Tamil literature
Mysteriou Tamil Bird Man
Four Birds at One Sloka

அதிசயப் பறவைத் தமிழன்!!!
சிட்டுக்குருவியிடம் பாரதி கற்ற பாடம்
யானை பற்றிய நூறு பழமொழிகள்
கா! கா! கா! கா!

கழுதைக்குத் தெரியுமா கற்பூர வாசனை
தேள் தெய்வம்
வாகனங்கள் தோன்றியது எங்கே?
சுமேரியாவில் தமிழ்ப் பறவை

Double headed Eagle
Serpent Queen: Indus Valley to Sabarimalai
Can parrots predict your future?
When animals worship god why not men?
Animal Einsteins- Part 1
Animal Einsteins- Part 2

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