When a pigeon caused a security scare in Gujarat

A pigeon gave a security scare to the Gujarat police and the Union home ministry was also alerted after it was found that the bird seen near the coast carried an electronic chip and an Arabic word written on its wing.

The Union home ministry was informed about the incident in a communication from the Gujarat government, according to officials on Friday.

The pigeon was first seen on March 20 about five nautical miles away from the shore of Salaya Essar jetty, which is under construction, in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district.

One of the security guards deployed at the jetty found that the pigeon was carrying a chip in one of its legs and a number ‘28733’ written in a ring in the other leg.

One word -- ‘Rasul-Ul-Allah’ -- was found written on the wing of the pigeon in Arabic. The chip had ‘Benjing Dual’ written on it.

The next day, the security personnel deployed in the jetty informed the Coast Guard and handed over the pigeon to them for further investigation.

Two days later, the Coast Guard informed the local police and registered a preliminary report. The district police removed the ring and the chip from the pigeon’s legs and sent the two items to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar for examination.

The Gujarat forest department officials were also called up for their opinion about the pigeon which is mostly found in North India and such pigeons are used for racing purposes in foreign countries, particularly in Gulf.

Investigators also found that the ‘Benjing Dual’ is used as a reference for pigeon race in some foreign countries.

The Gujarat police’s preliminary report said that the pigeon might have missed out of a ship somewhere in the deep sea and in search of drinking water might have reached the shore of Salaya Essar jetty.

However, unwilling to take any chances, the Gujarat government has informed the Union home ministry, saying the mystery over the pigeon’s arrival remained unresolved and that investigation was still continuing.