Security agencies were alerted in Karnataka’s coastal district of Uttara Kannada when a migratory seagull was found injured at Rabindranath Tagore Beach, with a high-tech GPS tracker belonging to China attached to its body. After this incident, security agencies have started investigating the matter.
According to the police, this bird was seen injured and in distress on the beach on Tuesday. On receiving the information, the team of Coastal Marine Police Cell reached the spot and safely rescued the seagull and handed it over to the Forest Department.
During the investigation, officials found a sophisticated electronic device tied to the bird’s body. It was equipped with a GPS transmitter powered by solar panels, which is capable of recording the bird’s movements and flight path. There was an e-mail ID and message written on the device, requesting researchers to contact them if the bird was found.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that this e-mail ID is linked to the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a prestigious institution of China. Although tracking is a common global scientific process to monitor migratory birds, their flight routes and study diseases like bird flu, the location where this bird was found has raised concerns of security agencies.
It is noteworthy that INS Kadamba naval base is located in Karwar, which is a very strategic military base of India. Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines are stationed here.
Police sources said that investigation is being done from all possible aspects. A senior officer said, ‘Given the strategic importance of the Karwar naval base, any possibility cannot be ruled out immediately.’
Officials said the GPS device has been taken into safe custody and technical experts are examining its data logs to find out the areas through which the bird had passed before reaching Karwar. At the same time, the injured seagull is undergoing treatment under the supervision of the Forest Department. The investigation of the matter is ongoing.
