Another Pakistani 'spy' pigeon taken into 'custody' by Indian border security force
The pigeon flew over from Pakistan's Wahga area into India's Rohranwala on April 17
April 22, 2021
In the latest bizarre claim by India to enter the "spy pigeon" chronicles, the country's border security force reported capturing a bird this week that flew over from Pakistan into Indian territory.
According to a report by Daily Jang, the pigeon flew over the border from Pakistan's Wagah area into India's Rohranwala — which is 500 metres inside Indian territory — on April 17.
The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) initially wrote to the Indian Punjab Police demanding that a First Information Report (FIR) be registered against the pigeon, Jang journalist Khalid Mehmood Khalid told Geo News.
Khalid said that today, however, the BSF said that the bit about the FIR was written "in error" as there is no law in India under which a case can be registered against a pigeon.
He said that interestingly, the pigeon flew over and sat right on the shoulder of Indian constable Niraj Kumar. Kumar caught him and inspected him, upon which he found a white paper tied to its leg. The paper contained a mobile phone number.
The journalist said that when he contacted the number, he found that the pigeon belongs to a mechanic in Pakistan's Jilo Mor area, named Sohail. Sohail verified that the pigeon is his and had escaped. He said the number tied to its leg for this express purpose — so that if someone finds it, they can inform him.
The pigeon has since then reportedly fallen ill. It was taken to a doctor in Amritsar and scanned but nothing was found.
Indian forces routinely report capturing "spy" pigeons that fly over from Pakistani territory. In one such incident, the wings of one pigeon were clipped to prevent it from flying back. Indian police claim that this pigeon, however, will "soon" be released and allow to fly back to Pakistan, according to Khalid.
In March this year, to add to the list, a green and white balloon with the letters PIA (akin to the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines) was also discovered inside India-occupied Kashmir. The balloon was immediately "taken into custody by police" and investigated.
