Suspected spy pigeon with camera fitted on leg caught by fishermen in Odisha

A pigeon suspected of being used for spying was caught from a fishing boat off the Paradip coast of Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district. The bird was found fitted with devices, which appeared to be a microchip and a camera.

A few fishermen had discovered the pigeon perched on their trawler some days back. The bird was caught and eventually handed over to the marine police there on March 8, Wednesday.

Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Rahul PR told PTI “our veterinarians will examine the bird,” adding authorities will seek the help of the State Forensic Science Laboratory in order to examine the potential camera and microchip attached to its legs.

“Experts” help will also be sought to find out what’s been scribbled on the wings of the pigeon, the SP further mentioned.

An employee of the fishing trawler ‘Sarathi’, Pitambar Behera, captured the bird as it came closer. The pigeon was found on the trawler around 10 days back when it was anchored roughly 35 km off the coast of Konark. Behera said he fed the bird broken rice for the past several days.

Nevertheless, this is not the first time such incidents have been reported in India. A pigeon suspected of being trained in Pakistan for spying was captured in May 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir. The bird was caught by the locals and eventually handed over to the authorities.

However, a Pakistani man, who claimed to be the captured pigeon’s owner, later shared a video message saying his birds had taken a flight on Eid and one of them crossed the border. Days later – after nothing suspicious was found – the police released the bird.

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