What began as a routine wildlife meat seizure in Madhya Pradesh has escalated into one of India’s most chilling wildlife crime investigations, Times of India reported. Authorities say the probe has uncovered an alleged trophy-hunting syndicate operating across nine districts, linked to affluent clients, rifle-club insiders, and cross-border hunting circles.
Nearly a year after three Mumbai-based youths were arrested, forensic experts have decrypted mobile data from seized phones, revealing videos, GPS logs, and chat records that expose a covert commercial game-hunting racket posing as “sports gatherings.” Investigators have identified 60 kills of blackbuck, chinkara, and sambar between 2022 and 2024, with protected forests reportedly turned into private hunting grounds for the wealthy.
The case has now drawn the attention of the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, which considers blackbucks sacred. The community filed an intervening application before the MP High Court’s Indore bench opposing the bail plea of one suspect, Salman Piyarji of Mumbai. The matter is scheduled for a special hearing on Tuesday.
Investigators said the poaching operation was reportedly modelled on southern Africa-style game hunts, where participants pay to track and shoot animals for trophies or meat. “They had studied and replicated safari-hunting formats, complete with preselected targets, night chases, and trophy photo sessions,” sources told ToI.
Among the decrypted files is a video allegedly showing a blackbuck being shot and its throat slit under torchlight. Sharad Jatav, spokesperson for the State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), told TOI, “The forensic data has opened a Pandora’s box. They mainly targeted males, be it blackbuck, chinkara, chital, or sambar. We have matched the videos with the mobile-location data of the suspects.”
He added, “Males were targeted because their horns were taken as trophies. Whether these outsiders were being charged by the Bhopal-based group facilitating these hunts or if it was purely for sport is still under investigation. Key local suspects are yet to be arrested. Their questioning will reveal more. The rifles have been sent for a ballistic examination.”
Jatav said the group first met during a religious gathering in Bhopal and that “it is possible that more game hunters from other states travelled to Madhya Pradesh for similar expeditions.” Investigators also revealed that two alleged syndicate members had travelled to southern African countries to practise hunting legally for trophies and meat.
The decrypted data indicates that between 2022 and December 2024, the network orchestrated hunts killing more than 60 protected animals across Narmadapuram, Rajgarh, Sehore, Shajapur, Raisen, Vidisha, and parts of Bhopal, Ujjain, and Indore divisions. These hunts were reportedly marketed to clients as exclusive “wildlife sport experiences.”
The case first surfaced in December 2024, when STSF, Indore forest department, and local police arrested three alleged poachers, Johar Sain, Iyaz, and Salman Piyarji at Kishanganj forest range in Indore district. Officers seized 65 kg of suspected wildlife meat, a country-made pistol, three live cartridges, and an SUV with Maharashtra registration allegedly used to transport carcasses. A fourth arrest was made on October 24 this year, when Sabah (45), son of Salasin, was picked up from Mitra Nagar, Jogeri, Mumbai.
Investigators are probing possible links between the alleged hunters and rifle club members suspected of supplying weapons, ammunition, and logistical support, and helping identify forest-edge hunting zones. A senior investigator told TOI, “The evidence confirms a commercial operation masquerading as sport. More arrests are expected in Maharashtra and Rajasthan.”
With inputs from ToI
Nearly a year after three Mumbai-based youths were arrested, forensic experts have decrypted mobile data from seized phones, revealing videos, GPS logs, and chat records that expose a covert commercial game-hunting racket posing as “sports gatherings.” Investigators have identified 60 kills of blackbuck, chinkara, and sambar between 2022 and 2024, with protected forests reportedly turned into private hunting grounds for the wealthy.
The case has now drawn the attention of the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, which considers blackbucks sacred. The community filed an intervening application before the MP High Court’s Indore bench opposing the bail plea of one suspect, Salman Piyarji of Mumbai. The matter is scheduled for a special hearing on Tuesday.
Investigators said the poaching operation was reportedly modelled on southern Africa-style game hunts, where participants pay to track and shoot animals for trophies or meat. “They had studied and replicated safari-hunting formats, complete with preselected targets, night chases, and trophy photo sessions,” sources told ToI.
Among the decrypted files is a video allegedly showing a blackbuck being shot and its throat slit under torchlight. Sharad Jatav, spokesperson for the State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), told TOI, “The forensic data has opened a Pandora’s box. They mainly targeted males, be it blackbuck, chinkara, chital, or sambar. We have matched the videos with the mobile-location data of the suspects.”
He added, “Males were targeted because their horns were taken as trophies. Whether these outsiders were being charged by the Bhopal-based group facilitating these hunts or if it was purely for sport is still under investigation. Key local suspects are yet to be arrested. Their questioning will reveal more. The rifles have been sent for a ballistic examination.”
Jatav said the group first met during a religious gathering in Bhopal and that “it is possible that more game hunters from other states travelled to Madhya Pradesh for similar expeditions.” Investigators also revealed that two alleged syndicate members had travelled to southern African countries to practise hunting legally for trophies and meat.
The decrypted data indicates that between 2022 and December 2024, the network orchestrated hunts killing more than 60 protected animals across Narmadapuram, Rajgarh, Sehore, Shajapur, Raisen, Vidisha, and parts of Bhopal, Ujjain, and Indore divisions. These hunts were reportedly marketed to clients as exclusive “wildlife sport experiences.”
The case first surfaced in December 2024, when STSF, Indore forest department, and local police arrested three alleged poachers, Johar Sain, Iyaz, and Salman Piyarji at Kishanganj forest range in Indore district. Officers seized 65 kg of suspected wildlife meat, a country-made pistol, three live cartridges, and an SUV with Maharashtra registration allegedly used to transport carcasses. A fourth arrest was made on October 24 this year, when Sabah (45), son of Salasin, was picked up from Mitra Nagar, Jogeri, Mumbai.
Investigators are probing possible links between the alleged hunters and rifle club members suspected of supplying weapons, ammunition, and logistical support, and helping identify forest-edge hunting zones. A senior investigator told TOI, “The evidence confirms a commercial operation masquerading as sport. More arrests are expected in Maharashtra and Rajasthan.”
With inputs from ToI
