The case of spy pigeons as Odisha Police seizes one off Paradip coast

There were devices fitted on pigeon's leg and coded messages were scribbled on its wings, reports say

Police have taken into custody a suspected spy pigeon, allegedly attached with a camera and a microchip, from a fishing boat off the Paradip coast of Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district. The flighty suspect was perched on one of the trawlers used by the fisherman. It was captured and handed over to the marine police in Paradip. The police suspect the bird was trained for spying.

Local news outlets reported that coded messages, in blue and red, were also scribbled on the pigeon’s body.

Fishermen anchored 35 kilometres in the ocean captured the bird around 10 days back and handed it over to the marine police as they returned to the Paradip Fishing Harbour on Wednesday.

This is not the first time a pigeon has ended up with the police on suspicion of spying.

In 2016, the Border Security Force (BSF) had detained a pigeon found to be carrying a note threatening Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pathankot, where Pakistan-based militants had attacked an Indian Air Force base in January that year. And in 2021, the BSF demanded an FIR on the grounds of espionage against another 'intruder pigeon' that had allegedly trespassed into Indian territory. The Indian Express reported that a small piece of paper with a contact number was wrapped around the leg of the avian.

For centuries, pigeons have been trained as professional messengers that deliver letters and also fly back to the sender with replies. During the world wars, several homing pigeons, a variety of domestic pigeons, were employed to transmit encrypted messages in active war zones. The United States (US) Army Air Forces even had a manual titled Handling and Releasing Homing Pigeon from Aircraft that detailed the use of these pigeons on the frontline.

The Odisha Police, meanwhile, has a unique pigeon service operating in the state. It is equipped with a flock of 150 pigeons that are deployed to signify peace and harmony during state-level functions or ceremonial parades.

These pigeons in Odisha's Police Pigeon Service are categorised as static, boomerang, and mobile pigeons. Static pigeons are deployed during floods and cyclones, and are helpful as a one-way service for communication. Boomerang pigeons are a two-way service that connects police stations and remote areas. In contrast, police units carry mobile pigeons that are trained to communicate with police headquarters.

Over recent months, there has been a surge in the frequency of reports about suspected espionage across the globe. Last month, a Chinese spy balloon hovering over the US set alarm bells ringing in Washington, stoking tensions between the two nations. While a US fighter jet shot the balloon, accused of spying on sensitive military sites, off the coast of South Carolina, China denied the accusations and maintained that it was a weather balloon that had deviated from its path.