Pigeon caught trying to smuggle mobile phone inside a Brazilian prison when a guard saw an inmate trying to catch the bird.

Guards at a Brazilian prison caught a pigeon with a mobile phone attached to its body.

Officials said the bird was trying to deliver the phone to prisoners.

The guards intervened when they spotted an inmate trying to catch the pigeon.

When they inspected more closely, one guard found a small pouch that contained a phone and battery.

The incident occurred at the Franco da Rocha prison, in in the state of Sao Paulo.

It is unclear who used the bird to try and smuggle the device in.

Brazil's overcrowded and dilapidated prisons have been the scene of deadly prison riots between criminal groups since the start of the year that have seen more than 140 people killed.

Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world's most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes.

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