A parrot, who witnessed the moment his owner was murdered, repeatedly shouted the culprit’s name, providing a clue to solving the case. The court sentenced the perpetrator to life imprisonment, recognizing the confession of the perpetrator and the testimony of the parrot as the main evidence nine years after the incident occurred.
According to India Today and others on the 27th (local time), the district court of India sentenced Ashtoshi Goswami to life imprisonment and a fine of 72,000 rupees (about 1,136,000 won) for the murder of his cousin Neelam Sharma.
Neelam was found dead from excessive blood loss at his home on February 20, 2014. Jewelry and cash in the house were also stolen, and a dog was also attacked and killed. She attended an acquaintance’s wedding, but after returning home, her family discovered it and called the police.
Police first investigated the family living in the house. But while the police and the family were talking, a strange thing happened. Neelam’s pet parrot in the house shouted, “Ah! He started shouting, “Ah! ‘Ash’ was the shortened name of Ashtoshi in the family.
Afterwards, the police obtained an eyewitness account from a neighbor’s house through interrogation, saying, ‘I saw Ashtoshi leaving Neelam’s house’. Neelam’s husband, Vijay Sharma, also testified that “Ashtoshi never came to the house even after hearing the news of Nilam’s death.”
Police arrested Ashtosh and his friend Ronnie Marsh five days after the incident. At the scene of the arrest, cash and jewelry, believed to have been stolen from Neelam’s house, were found.
The police confirmed that there were injuries to Ashtosh’s hand and asked several questions about it. However, Ashtosh kept reversing his statements about his injury whenever questioned.
The trial process was slow because there was no direct and clear evidence. The verdict was not handed down for nine years. After a long investigation, the full story of the case was revealed when Ash Tosh confessed that he “conspired with his friend Ronnie to plan the robbery, but the victim resisted and even murdered him.”
In his sentencing, Special Judge Mohammad Rashid cited Ashtosh’s confession and the parrot’s “special cries” as the main reasons. The judge said, “It cannot be said that the testimony of the parrot was officially recognized under the Indian Evidence Act,” but “the testimony of the parrot was at the center of the trial process, and the police also acknowledged that the parrot played a significant role.” .
However, neither the parrot nor Neelam’s husband, Vijay, could directly witness the criminal being punished. The parrot stopped eating and drinking immediately after her owner’s death, and she died six months later. Vijay was also reported to have died in November 2020.
Neelam’s daughter, Nibedita, commented on the final verdict: “My late father wanted Ash to be hanged. The whole family will continue to petition for Ashu to pay the price he deserves,” she said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.