Anguish of British aid worker jailed in India over manslaughter of kid who vanished on picnic trip
Narges Ashtari has been left stunned by the verdict, which she says is the result of corruption in the small Indian town
A BRIT who moved to India to help orphaned kids has been jailed after being found guilty of manslaughter over the disappearance of a child at a riverside picnic.
Narges Ashtari, who grew up in Exeter, Devon, before moving to India and setting up the Prishan Foundation, says she is in shock after the verdict was announced today.
Narges Ashtari set up the Prishan Foundation which helps poor and blind children in India
Narges, 28, was today jailed for one year and fined the equivalent of £3,300 pounds, although she remains free on on bail while she launches an appeal, she told The Sun Online.
The child at the centre of the case in Rayagada, eastern India, is suspected to have drowned. Narges insists she has been wrongly accused and is a victim of corruption, which is endemic in parts of India.
She said: "The allegations were brought by the husband and wife who were accompanying me during this picnic. They claimed that I took their son and threw him in the river and because of that he drowned.
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"It was the verdict today so the judge said that she finds me guilty and sentenced me to one year and three hundreds thousand Rupees fine, and if I don't pay the fine they're adding another three years onto my sentence.
"I'm completely in shock. I'm scared and just feel let down by the whole system here. There seems to be no proper law in place.
"But the truth is it was a claim to extort money against me and when I refused to pay them money they took a claim against me - and succeeded.
"The next step would be to appeal the verdict and the place I can appeal it is through a court in the same town. In such a small town where everybody is somehow connected I have no chance."
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: "We have been providing assistance to Ms Ashtari since her arrest, including contacting local authorities on her behalf. We are ready to provide further assistance if requested."
In October the charity worker issued a desperate plea to her old friends and colleagues in England to support her in her hour of need.
An online campaign was launched calling on the Indian Prime Minister to intervene in her case - which has been rumbling on since the child vanished in 2014.
At the time she said: "I feel betrayed. I have spent years in this area and we have made a huge difference – this is how I have been repaid."
Narges first arrived in India in 2011 and began working with local groups to help poor kids get a better education.
She said: "I grew up in Exeter and see myself as being as British as you can be. Because of the childhood I had - losing my mother and father - I just wanted to give something back.
"I travelled a lot and found myself here - a place where lots of people are in need.
"We have done real work but there are lots of bad people here and they take advantage. When they see somebody from the outside they just see money.
"At least I have a voice to speak to the outside world – something a lot of people here don't have. If this can happen to a British national like me I cannot imagine what can happen to them."
She added: "I still have friends in Exeter who I grew up with who have always been in touch even though I have been all over the place."
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