Writes to Maharashtra forest officials to carry out independent investigation
(From left- sitting) Johar Husain Mukri, Imtiyaz Shakeel Khan, and Salman Haroon Piyarji with the State Tiger Strike Force of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Taking serious note of mid-day’s report on bushmeat and poaching, for which four Mumbai-based persons have been arrested, the State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), Madhya Pradesh, has written to the Maharashtra Forest Department, requesting verification and details of any criminal records of the accused in Maharashtra.
Sources from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department also told mid-day that the Maharashtra Forest Department should carry out an independent investigation to ascertain where the bushmeat and wildlife parts were sold in Mumbai and Maharashtra.
On November 11, STSF Indore office of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department wrote to the Chief Wildlife Conservator of Maharashtra Forest Department, providing details of the four Mumbai-based accused arrested in connection with the poaching of wild animals.
“While taking action against the organised gang that hunts wild animals from protected forest areas of Madhya Pradesh and smuggles their meat and body parts to Mumbai [Maharashtra] at the interstate level, Forest Crime Case No. 237/22 dated 21-08-2025 has been registered by the Indore unit, and investigation is underway. Please provide the previous criminal records of the following accused arrested in the case for judicial proceedings,” the letter states.
A source from Madhya Pradesh Forest Department told mid-day that a few days back, the MP High Court (Indore) dismissed the second bail application of the accused in the wildlife poaching case involving blackbuck and chital.
Imtiyaz Shakeel Khan with blackbuck kill
“The Maharashtra Forest Department should not just do a background check of the four Mumbai-based accused arrested in the case, but also simultaneously carry out an independent investigation. The accused allegedly would sell the bushmeat and parts of the wild animals to high-profile rich people in Mumbai and adjoining areas, and so this needs to be investigated,” said an official.
According to sources, a fifth individual was arrested from Madhya Pradesh, and he is currently being interrogated. A November 11 mid-day report — ‘Tiger Strike Force uncovers wildlife meat racket linking Madhya Pradesh forests to Mumbai’s luxury circles’ — shed light on how a high-profile wildlife crime trail led investigators from the forests of Madhya Pradesh to the upscale neighbourhoods of Mumbai.
The STSF unearthed a poaching and bushmeat racket in which protected species such as blackbuck, chinkara, and sambar were hunted in Indore and their meat transported across state lines.
A video recovered from an accused’s phone shows a person running toward a freshly shot animal, naming several others — including Anas, Prasanjeet, Shabuddin-bhai, Sarfaraz Lala, Rameez, Usman-bhai, Ashgar, Saba, Abdullah, Andy, Zaid, Pappu, Asif, and Umair — now under the STSF’s scanner for alleged links to the wildlife crimes.
The mid-day report also mentioned that investigators suspect a wider interstate racket involving the smuggling of bushmeat, animal skins, and other wildlife products.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
