Captured by Punjab Police, ‘spy’ pigeon escapes, flies towards neighbouring country

The police took two hours to nab the pigeon, which carried a tag with “5547 Janbaz Khan” and a phone number, sources informed The Tribune. Intelligence agencies were briefed after the pigeon was put in custody.

In the past, numerous birds — falcons included — have been captured which have raised suspicions among the authorities. The pigeon “apprehended” near the border in Amritsar in 2010, one hunted by villagers in Pathankot in 2015 and a white-coloured pigeon with “suspected Pakistani links” again caught in Pathankot are examples.

“The brains of such high flying birds are tuned in a manner that they remember their loft. She could have flown and crossed back to Pakistan,” said Pathankot-based bird lover Ramanjeet Singh, who had once been handed a pigeon by police. Read more about what he had to say, here.