Indian pigeon cleared of espionage charges after eight-month detainment

The Press Trust of India news agency announced the release of the innocent animal. In its early days in custody, the outlook seemed bleak. The bird had two bands attached to its legs, featuring inscriptions initially presumed to be Chinese.

The pigeon was suspected of being an operative for Chinese intelligence. As a result, it was taken into custody. Only after many weeks at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit animal centre in the Parel district did the facility inquire with the police if the bird was still under suspicion. They also questioned if the pigeon, having been deprived of the opportunity to fly for so long, could have its freedom reinstated.

The Press Trust of India reported that local police passed the pigeon on to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Veterinary experts checked its health yet again and decided that it could relish freedom once more after eight months in captivity.

In the end, it transpired that those enigmatic bands were identifiers hailing from Taiwan. The bird was a racing pigeon, which for some reason had lost its bearings and ended up in a coastal region. Whether it will recover its former athletic prowess, that once qualified it for races, remains uncertain.

"The Guardian" noted that this is not the first instance of Indian police suspecting a bird of illicit activities. In 2020, police in Kashmir released another pigeon after it was cleared of accusations. The bird in question belonged to a Pakistani fisherman. Suspicion was stirred when it crossed the highly fortified border betwixt the two countries with nuclear capabilities.

Similarly, in 2016, India was flummoxed by an avian scandal. This erupted following the discovery of a pigeon carrying a message threatening Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attached to its leg.