The Chhattisgarh government has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into an alleged tiger poaching and wildlife trafficking network linked to the Indravati Tiger Reserve after the arrest of a serving Maharashtra Police personnel posted with the Intelligence Cell (IntCell), Special Branch, Gadchiroli, and a confidential police informer, both allegedly linked to an inter-state syndicate.
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The Free Press Journal has accessed a copy of the July 27 communication from the Chhattisgarh Forest and Climate Change Department to the state’s Principal Secretary, Home, recommending that the case be referred to the CBI. The department cited the case’s sensitivity, links between Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, and the suspected use of the difficult border areas along the Indravati river for national and international wildlife trafficking. It also flagged the alleged connection of one of the accused with the Maharashtra Police intelligence set-up and the possibility that the network could extend beyond Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, requiring investigation and legal action in other parts of the country.
The broader dynamics of international wildlife trafficking indicate that illicit demand for tiger derivatives — including skins, bones, claws and teeth — is primarily concentrated in East and Southeast Asia, with China and Vietnam historically serving as major destination markets. A significant portion of the black-market demand is driven by traditional beliefs surrounding tiger parts. Tiger bone and skeletal derivatives have historically been used in specialised tonics, wines and medicines believed to treat ailments such as rheumatism, arthritis, joint pain and general fatigue. Among wealthy collectors and elite circles, whole tiger skins are prized as high-status luxury home decor items. Canines, claws and whiskers are frequently processed into high-value ornaments, pendants and protective amulets, appealing to niche luxury buyers who view them as status symbols or talismans.
The case came to light on June 29 following a confidential tip-off that two persons were transporting tiger skins from Gadchiroli towards Chhattisgarh. A joint anti-poaching team of the West Bhanupratappur Forest Division laid a blockade and intercepted the suspects on the Bande-Pakhanjur road. The team recovered two tiger skins, 13 tiger whiskers and a Maharashtra-registered motorcycle.
Interrogation of the suspects allegedly revealed a direct security breach involving Maharashtra Police personnel. The accused were identified as Biyeshwar Gedam, a police constable posted in the Intelligence Cell (IntCell), Special Branch, Gadchiroli, and Baburao Madavi, a confidential police informer from Gadchiroli. Both were produced before a court in Bhanupratappur on June 30 and remanded to judicial custody.
Based on information obtained during interrogation, forest officials conducted a search operation in Netiwada village in Bijapur district, along the Indravati river near the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border. The searches allegedly resulted in the recovery of traps, knives, 12 claws and four canine teeth allegedly used in hunting wildlife. On July 5, officials also recovered a third tiger skin that had allegedly been concealed along the riverbank. A separate forest offence case was registered under the jurisdiction of the Indravati Tiger Reserve.
Seven additional suspects from Bijapur district were arrested, taking the total number of accused arrested to nine. Four of the nine are from Maharashtra, including the two persons identified as being linked to the Gadchiroli police.
The department has pointed to the remote and difficult terrain along the Indravati river corridor, which straddles Bijapur in Chhattisgarh and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, as a potential route for moving illegally hunted wildlife and smuggled contraband. Department investigations believe that the network extends beyond Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh into other states,where it may have contacts, storage points or hideouts.
According to the department’s assessment, wildlife contraband is suspected to be moved from the area to other states,where tiger and leopard skins are generally dried or treated so that they do not decay. Bones, teeth and claws can relatively easily be stored for long periods. Pangolin scales can also be stored for long periods when dried and can be concealed among other goods for onward transportation. Meat or other perishable biological material requires greater preservation. The contraband is then sent to areas where it can be kept safely or prepared for further smuggling.
This raises the possibility of a wider interstate trafficking chain in which the Indravati corridor serves as a source and transit route, while locations outside Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh are used for storage, processing and onward movement of the contraband. The department has accordingly flagged the need to identify such intermediary locations, trace the movement of the wildlife products and establish the involvement of persons operating outside the two states, which could entail investigation, arrests and legal action in other states as well.
The alleged involvement of Maharashtra Police personnel has added a security dimension to the case. Gadchiroli is a Naxal-affected and security-sensitive district sharing difficult forested terrain with Chhattisgarh. The department has cited the combination of the alleged police link, cross-border movement of wildlife contraband, the nature of the recovered material and the possibility of a wider trafficking network in support of its recommendation for a CBI investigation.
The recommendation has cleared the relevant internal stages within the Chhattisgarh Forest Department. It was approved by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, besides receiving state government approval, before being forwarded to the Chhattisgarh Home Department for onward reference to the CBI.
