Pigeon spies and the flutter caused by these unusual undercover agents

A Pakistani villager, who lives 4 km from the border, claimed to be its owner and made an impassioned appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to return the pigeon.

In October 2016, a seemingly innocuous pigeon from Pakistan flew into Pathankot in Punjab with a note tied to its leg. A message written in Urdu read, “Modi, we’re not the same people from 1971. Now each and every child is ready to fight against India.”

It was enough for Indian authorities to mete out the “pigeon-er of war” treatment to the aberrant bird.

The suspected spy was taken into custody after it landed at a Border Security Force outpost. The police sent a report to the home ministry that included the bird’s X-ray results, which did not reveal “anything suspicious”.