Indian officials capture Pakistani 'spy' pigeon carrying coded message

Indian security forces caught a pigeon suspected to be trained by Pakistan for spying from Kathua village in Jammu and Kashmir along the International Border. The pigeon was held carrying a coded message.

Jammu: A pigeon suspected of being trained to "spy" by Pakistan has been captured in India along one of the world's most contested borders, Indian officials said.

The pigeon, suspected to be trained in Pakistan for spying, was captured along the International Border (IB) in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday.

They said the pigeon, carrying a "coded message", was captured by residents of Manyari village in Hiranagar sector soon after it flew into this side from Pakistan.

Security agencies concerned are working to decipher the "coded message", the officials said.

Kathua Police's senior superintendent Shailendra Mishra said, "The villagers gave the pigeon to police on Sunday after it flew into a woman's house from Pakistan."

He said, "A ring was seen attached to one of its legs with some numbers on it and a probe is on."

"We can't say it was used for spying. Locals, seeing a tag tied with its leg, caught the pigeon," he added.

Birds have reportedly been used for espionage in the disputed region before.

In 2016, police in Pathankot, in India's Punjab state, took in a bird that was found near the Pakistan border which had a note attached to it with an alleged threat to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The year before, a bird was seized a few miles from the border after being spotted carrying a "stamped message" on its body, according to local reports.