Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Pigeon With Suspected Pakistani Number Triggers Border Security Inquiry
People found a pigeon in a village near the India-Pakistan border.
A ring on its leg had numbers that looked like a Pakistani phone number.
The villagers gave the bird to the police.
Police told intelligence and security agencies about it.
Officials are checking whether the pigeon carried a message across the border.
They are also considering whether it could be connected to spying, drug smuggling or testing security forces.
The area is watched closely because people have tried to cross the border there in the past.
Similar pigeons have been found in the region before, but authorities have not yet said what this bird was being used for.
A pigeon carrying a leg ring marked with what appears to be a Pakistani mobile number was found in Chhan Khatriyan village.
Locals handed the bird to police, who informed intelligence and security agencies.
Authorities are investigating whether the pigeon was used for cross-border messaging, espionage, narcotics smuggling or testing border responses.
The discovery occurred in the sensitive Hiranagar sector of Kathua district near the International Border.
Officials noted similar pigeon recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, including a 2020 case in Hiranagar.
- Who
- Locals, police, intelligence agencies and security forces are involved; the pigeon was found by villagers.
- What
- A pigeon with a ring bearing what appears to be a Pakistani mobile number was recovered and placed under investigation.
- When
- The bird was spotted the evening before the report and handed over to police afterward.
- Where
- Chhan Khatriyan village in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- Authorities are determining whether the pigeon was used for cross-border messaging, espionage, narcotics smuggling or testing border-force responses.
- Location
- Chhan Khatriyan village, Hiranagar sector, Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir
- Marking found
- A leg ring carrying what appears to be a Pakistani mobile number
- Agency response
- Police informed intelligence agencies and launched an inquiry
- Security context
- The Hiranagar area has previously been used as an infiltration route, according to the report
- Possible uses under examination
- Cross-border messaging, espionage, narcotics smuggling and testing border responses
- Previous similar case
- A pigeon with a ring bearing a Pakistani number was captured in Manyari village of Hiranagar in 2020
- Earlier recoveries
- Similar incidents were reported in the RS Pura and Akhnoor sectors in 2016 and 2018