Suspected spy pigeon released by Mumbai police after eight months

Image for Representation purpose only. Pic/pixabay

A pigeon, suspected to be used by Chinese for spying and kept in the custody of a veterinary hospital in Mumbai has been released, a police official said on Wednesday, news wire PTI reported. The bird was freed on Tuesday after being caught eight months back.

The Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals in Parel area on Monday sought the police's permission to release the bird following which it was freed on Tuesday, the official from RCF (Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers) police station said.

As per PTI report, the pigeon was caught in May last year at Pir Pau Jetty in suburban Chembur by the RCF police. The bird had two rings - one of copper and another of aluminium - tied to its leg and messages written in a Chinese-like script on the underside of both its wings, the police said.

The RCF police then registered a case but after the inquiry was completed, the spying charge was dropped, he said.

During the probe into the case, the police found the pigeon used to take part in racing at the open waters in Taiwan and at one such event, it flew out of the country and landed in India, the official said.

The pigeon was freed by the hospital after the police gave a "no objection" for its release, he said, adding the bird's medical condition was fine.

Also Read: Mumbai: Kandivali hotelier receives threatening call allegedly from underworld, police launch investigation

Meanwhile, Mumbai police under Zone 2 have recovered 100 mobile phones, collectively valued at Rs.15 lakh, and returned them to their owners. The operation involved teams from Pydhonie, L.T Marg, D.B Marg, Malabar Hill, Gamdevi, and V.P Marg police stations. Through tracking using the CEIR portal and employing various other measures, the police were able to trace and retrieve the stolen phones.

The handover of the recovered phones to the respective complainants took place at Nagpada police station on January 30. The complainants have expressed joy as they got their phones back.

(With PTI Inputs)