India releases pigeon accused of being a Chinese spy

A pigeon that spent eight months in Indian police custody has been released after it was finally cleared as a suspected Chinese spy, AFP reports.
The bird was caught at a port in the financial capital Mumbai with "messages written in Chinese script" on its wings, the Times of India reported.
"Police had initially registered a case of espionage against the bird but withdrew the charge after completion of investigation," the report added.
The unnamed bird was kept under lock and key at a city veterinary hospital while police conducted an investigation.
That investigation took an "astonishing eight months," the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India office said in a statement.
PETA India said the police had given "formal permission to the hospital to release the pigeon".
Local media reported that the bird flew away in good health.
The pigeon is the latest of several animals detained by Indian authorities on suspicion of spying.
In 2016, border security officials detained a pigeon after it was found carrying a threatening message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi near India's border with rival Pakistan.
Another pigeon was detained under armed guard in 2010 after it was found in the same area with a ring around its leg and a Pakistani phone number and address printed on its body in red ink.
In that case, officials ordered that no one be allowed to visit the pigeon, which police said may have been on a "special spy mission." /BGNES