'Tigers were butchered, skinned, and smuggled out of country': Forensic probe uncovers global poaching racket active in MP

BHOPAL: In a revelation that rips the veil off the darkest global wildlife crime syndicate, forensic experts have confirmed that specimens sent to them are indeed of two adult tigers poached in Madhya Pradesh that were systematically butchered, skinned, and smuggled out of the country — feeding a transnational black market that rivals the narcotics trade in scale and brutality.
The confirmation came from scientists at the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH), an independent unit of Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University (NDVSU), Jabalpur.
The blood and hair samples, retrieved from an abandoned house deep in Balaghat district, were sent in by the State Special Tiger Strike Force during an ongoing crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking.
Forensic analysis, including stripe-pattern matching, revealed that the tigers were not only poached but likely part of a premeditated commercial operation, sources informed.
Once the tigers stepped into the leg-hold traps, they were hacked to death, slaughtered, skinned, dressed, and stuffed into six to seven sacks before being transported to Myanmar and then to China via the Bhandara railway station in Maharashtra, investigators revealed.
The forest department has now initiated legal proceedings to declare a bounty on four key suspects, including Ghatiya, 26, Ekki Lal, 24, and Surya, 20 — all sons of Ajit Rajgond, a name well known in wildlife enforcement circles for having poached and smuggled over 100 tigers from various regions across India. Authorities believe the family has played a central role in supplying tiger derivatives to international buyers for years. Maharashtra has already announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 each for any information leading to their arrest.
Officials declined to put an exact price on the blood trade following restrictions but confirmed that payouts per tiger exceed those made to narcotics couriers.
“If foot soldiers in the poaching chain are getting paid more than drug mules, just imagine what the top bosses are making,” a senior forest officer said on the condition of anonymity.
“This isn’t local poaching — this is an industrial-scale, globally connected racket. India’s forests are being emptied one tiger at a time, and the profits are enormous,” the officer added.
It was in February 2024 that a gang arrested by the Maharashtra Forest Department confessed to killing many tigers, including two tigers in the red corridor of Madhya Pradesh. This revelation prompted the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department to direct its Special Tiger Strike Force (STSF) to register cases and initiate further investigations. According to the confession, both tigers were killed within the Balaghat Forest Development Corporation area in August 2024. The information has triggered action by Madhya Pradesh authorities.
The poaching syndicate, led by Katni-based poacher Ajit Rajgond, allegedly admitted to killing numerous tigers across India. Rajgond and his gang were arrested in January this year in Rajura, Maharashtra. Their capture has led to a larger investigation into an international poaching network reportedly operating across India, China, and Vietnam. Sources indicate that the INTERPOL Wildlife Enforcement team may also join the probe.
Following the arrest of Ajit Rajgond and his six-member gang, a team from Madhya Pradesh’s STSF joined forces with local law enforcement in a multi-agency operation to dismantle the global wildlife trafficking syndicate. The poaching gang members had already been wanted in connection with several high-profile poaching cases in Madhya Pradesh. Authorities worked in close coordination with local teams in Maharashtra to ensure justice.
A red alert was issued after financial transactions linked to the Ajit Rajgond gang, totaling crores of rupees, were traced.
Although the identity of the kingpin behind the syndicate remains unknown, investigations have revealed that the poaching network has ties to neighboring countries, where there is a high demand for tiger bone glue, which is used for various medicinal purposes. Though the exact number of tigers killed remains unclear, sources suggest the toll could be significant. Investigators have tracked the poaching gang’s mobile phone locations near known tiger habitats in Madhya Pradesh.
Strategically located in the corridor regions of central India, the Balaghat Forest Division plays a crucial role in connecting various wildlife population sites, particularly tigers. It links high-density tiger reserves like Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh with protected areas of lower tiger densities, including Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
The Kanha-Pench-Achanakmar block represents the largest tiger population in the Central Indian landscape, with an estimated 360 tigers (SE 12) across an area of 11,400 km². This block encompasses the forested landscapes of Kanha Tiger Reserve, Mandla, Balaghat, and Dindori territorial divisions, as well as Pench Tiger Reserves in both Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh. Together, these areas constitute the largest connected tiger population in Central India.
The gang's leader, Ajit Rajgond alias Ajit Pardhi, along with his family members, was apprehended in Bamanwada village near Rajura town. This arrest was the result of a months-long investigation aimed at dismantling a vast poaching network that supplied tiger parts to international buyers. Ajit's brother, Keru, along with two other gang members, managed to escape, but authorities were able to extract valuable information from the arrested poachers, who confessed to killing numerous tigers across India.
The gang allegedly supplied tiger parts to buyers in India’s Northeast region, who then facilitated the global trafficking of these products. The poaching operations have spanned multiple tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, including Panna, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh, areas renowned for their high tiger populations.
The investigation also led to the arrest of an alleged key figure in the trafficking network: Lalneisung, a 50-year-old former Assam Rifles soldier from Shillong, Assam. Lalneisung, who retired in 2015, was apprehended by the Maharashtra Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) after tracing alleged financial transactions exceeding Rs 50 lakh between him and Ajit. These funds are now believed to have grown into crores, further fuelling the illegal tiger trade.
A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), New Delhi, is monitoring the investigation and providing essential coordination and support to the forest department in Chandrapur.