The bird was caught by police in Mumbai in May 2023 and found to have metal rings around its legs and a “Chinese-like script” on the underside of its wings, The Hindu reports.

It later emerged that the bird was a racing pigeon from Taiwan which went missing during an event and apparently found its way to India.

The pigeon remained in police custody until a local animal hospital applied for its release on Monday.

The bird was given a clean bill of health and released on Tuesday, police said.