Mid-Day Exclusive: Tiger Strike Force uncovers wildlife meat racket linking Madhya Pradesh forests to Mumbai’s luxury circles

A high profile wildlife crime trail has led investigators from the forests of Madhya Pradesh to the upscale neighbourhoods of Mumbai The State Tiger Strike Force STSF has unearthed an alleged poaching and bushmeat racket in which protected species such as blackbuck chinkara and sambar were hunted in Indore and their meat transported across state linesFrom left Johar Husain Mukri Imtiyaz Shakeel Khan and Salman Haroon Piyarji with the State Tiger Strike Force STSF of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department PicsMP Forest DepartmentOfficials say the network used encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to sell the meat to influential clients in Mumbai mdash and possibly abroad The probe backed by disturbing videos showing the slaughter of wild animals has already resulted in four arrests including one from Andherirsquos Millat Nagar Investigators are now tracing the buyers and the larger interstate network behind the tradeDecember 3 2024 mdash Kishanganj IndoreDuring a routine nakabandi local police made a shocking discovery when they opened the boot of a Mumbairegistered SUV car mdash bags filled with 65 kg of bushmeat a countrymade pistol and live cartridges spilled outThe ArrestsThe vehiclersquos occupants identified as Imtiyaz Shakeel Khan the main accused Johar Husain Mukri and Salman Haroon Piyarji all from Mumbai were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the wildlife crime They allegedly hunted blackbuck chinkara and sambar in the forests of Madhya PradeshThe Wildlife CrimeDuring investigation STSF recovers disturbing videos of poachers slaughtering wild animals Visuals show chopped meat packed in plastic bagsDigital Evidence amp Bigger NetworkDigital evidence bring shocking facts and hint towards a bigger chain involvedThe Expanding InvestigationA video recovered from an accusedrsquos phone shows a person running toward a freshly shot animal naming several others mdash including Anas Prasanjeet Shabuddin bhai Sarfaraz Lala Rameez Usman bhai Ashgar Saba Abdullah Andy Zaid Pappu Asif and Umair Bhiwandi mdash now under the STSFrsquos scanner for alleged links to the wildlife crimeThe Expanding InvestigationOctober 27 2025 mdash Acting on fresh leads the STSF arrested another accused Saba Antule from Millat Nagar Andheri West further widening the scope of the probeThe Suspected NetworkInvestigators suspect a wider interstate racket involved in smuggling bushmeat animal skins and other wildlife productsThe Official ActionThe STSF Indore Unit is conducting further investigations and more arrests are likely including that of a trainer who allegedly provided weapon training to the accusedThe Larger QuestionInvestigators are probing whether the accused are part of a larger syndicate or have links to international networks involved in the illegal trade and supply of wildlife body partslsquoWhere Does The Bushmeat And Wildlife Parts End UprdquoWas meat from endangered species being served to elite customers mdash possibly even beyond Indiarsquos bordersAction PromisedSTSF vows to trace every link in the illegal bushmeat chain65 kgQuantity of bushmeat found in boot of a Mumbairegistered SUV car in 2024 in IndoreThe Madhya Pradesh Forest Departmentrsquos State Tiger Strike Force STSF probing a poaching case involving blackbuck chinkara and sambar killings in Indore Madhya Pradesh now suspects the meat was being supplied to highend buyers in MumbaiActing on leads the STSF last month arrested another accused from Millat Nagar Andheri West Officials believe the accused may be part of a larger interstate network dealing in bushmeat and wildlife productsChinkara Chital Blackbuck and SambarDec 3 20243 Mumbai men arrested in Indore with bushmeatMar 20 2025Case transferred to STSF Indore UnitImtiyaz Shakeel Khan with blackbuck killAug 21 2025Preliminary Offence Report registered in the caseOct 27 2025One more accused arrested from Mumbai