India, Pakistani spy-pigeon acquitted and released after 3 years of detention

2020-06-01T19:06:13.892Z

After three years in prison, Indian police released a Pakistani pigeon ... suspected of espionage. The pigeon, which belonged to a Pakistani fisherman, flown over the disputed territory between Pakistan and India, had been captured by Indian citizens. The owner, named Habibulla, had asked the Indians to return the pigeon to him and not give it to the police. The local inhabitants, however, became suspicious of a series of numbers written on the pigeon's legs, considering them a coded message intended for pro-Pakistani Islamist fighters operating in the disputed territory. The owner, however, has always claimed that his pigeon participated in the races and the numbers were the number of his cell phone to call in case of loss. Now the police have released the pigeon, in pre-trial detention since October 2016, acquitting him of the espionage charge because the fact does not exist.