A pigeon that was imprisoned for eight months on suspicion of espionage has been freed in India, the international animal rights organization Peta announced today.
The bird was intercepted in May, and it was carrying an "unreadable message". She was held at a veterinary clinic in Mumbai before being released by police on January 30, Peta said.
According to Indian media, the message was written in Chinese, which alarmed investigators.
"The police launched an investigation into espionage but eventually dropped it," the Times of India reported.
"Arrests" of domestic pigeons for espionage are not uncommon in India. One of them was closed in 2016 after being intercepted near the Pakistani border. A carrier pigeon carried a threatening message to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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