A pigeon has been caught by the police near Paradip beach in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district. It is understood that this pigeon was sent to spy. The pigeon was reportedly equipped with a camera and a microchip. This pigeon was sitting on a fishing net by fishermen. It was captured and handed over to the port police at Paradip. Police suspect that this pigeon was trained to be a spy.
Local news channels carried the news that a message was also written in blue and red on the pigeon’s body. It was caught about 10 days ago by fishermen in the sea, 35 km from the coast. On his return to Paradip fish port, he handed over the pigeon to the port police on Wednesday.
This is not the first time that a pigeon has been caught on charges of espionage. The pigeon was captured by the Border Security Force (BSF) in 2016. A note was found tied to this pigeon in Pathankot, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was threatened. In the same year, terrorists attacked the Air Force base of Pathankot. In 2021 too, the BSF had sought registration of an FIR for alleged espionage against a pigeon that came from across the border. This pigeon had allegedly entered the Indian border. The newspaper Indian Express had reported that someone’s phone number was written on a small piece of paper wrapped around the pigeon’s feet.
For many centuries pigeons have been trained to carry messages from one place to another. During World War I, domesticated pigeons were used to carry coded messages to war-torn areas.
Odisha Police is running an exclusive pigeon service in the state. 150 pigeons are being used in this service. These pigeons are used as a symbol of peace and harmony in state level programs and celebrations.
The Police Pigeon Service of Odisha has three categories of Static, Communicating and Fetching Pigeons and Mobile Pigeons. Stationary pigeons are deployed during floods and cyclones and prove useful for one-way communication. Pigeons that fly back and return serve as a link between police stations and remote areas. In contrast, pigeons accompanying police units are trained to communicate with police headquarters.
Several cases of alleged espionage have come to the fore in the world in recent months. Last month, news of a Chinese spy balloon hovering over the US sent shockwaves in Washington. This balloon was shot down by US fighter jets. On the other hand, China denied that its balloon was released to spy. China had said it was a weather forecasting balloon that had lost its way.
Matter of grave concern.