A pigeon accused of being a Chinese spy has been cleared by Indian police and released back into the wild.
The bird was detained by officers after it was captured in May last year near a port in Mumbai.
Detectives suspected the pigeon was involved in espionage and took it in.
Freelance Journalist Rahul Bedi told Moncrieff the police were suspicious of a few elements.
"It had an aluminium ring around both of its legs, and they also found some message written in Chinese on its underwing," he said.
"That got them a little suspicious, because police and the security agencies in India are very paranoid about anything to do with Pakistan or China.
"They arrested the pigeon in May and put it under observation and conducted investigations.
"It apparently transpired that it was an open-water racing bird, and it has been part of some race which started in Taiwan.
"It strayed and made its way into Mumbai".
'Easy for any pidgeon'
Mr Bedi said animal rights groups got involved in the case.
"Some of the animal rights activists found out that this bird was incarcerated in a cage," he said.
"They lobbied the police and the police freed the bird on Tuesday."
Police approved the bird's transfer to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where doctors set it free.
Mr Bedi said birds rarely respect international borders.
"The pigeon... flew all the way from Taiwan, which is hundreds of kilometers away," he said.
"The India-Pakistan border is just flying a few hundred metres, but at best a few kilometers.
"So, it's very easy for any pidgeon to make that crossing," he added.
This isn't the first time India has detained birds over security fears.
In 2020 suspicious police in Indian-controlled Kashmir captured a pigeon that belonged to a Pakistani fisherman.
An investigation found the bird was not a spy, and had simply flown across the border between the countries.
In 2016 another pigeon was detained after it was allegedly found with a note that threatened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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