Pigeon carrying chit to blow up Jammu railway station captured near IB; security tightened

Jammu: Security forces have captured a pigeon from the border area of RS Pura in Jammu district carrying a threat note to blow up the Jammu railway station, prompting police to beef up security in the region, officials said.

Pakistan has been known to send balloons, flags and pigeons to the India side of the International Border (IB) carrying varied messages, but this is the first time that a pigeon carrying a threat letter has been captured, they said.

Security agencies are taking the matter seriously in the wake of the prevailing threat perceptions and anti-India designs.

"The pigeon believed to be flying in from Pakistan was caught in the Katmaria area along the International Border at around 9 pm on August 18. A chit was found tied to its claws carrying a message to blow up the Jammu railway station," a senior police officer said.

According to sources, the chit carried a threat message in Urdu and English to blow up the Jammu railway station with an IED with lines such as "Kashmir Freedom", "Time has come", etc.

Security agencies are probing whether it was an act of mischief or a well-planned conspiracy, the officials said.

However, taking no chances, the forces have beefed up security around the railway station and the tracks. Dog squads and bomb disposal teams have been deployed, with local police on high alert, the officials said.

According to security experts, the pigeon might have been specially trained and released from across the border with a threat message tied to its claws.

"You have to take such matters seriously," an expert said.