Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh – The haunting shadow of poaching has returned to stalk India’s big cat population, with DNA testing confirming the killing of three tigers and one leopard near the Ranthambhore-Madhav forest corridor, raising grave concerns for wildlife conservationists.
The grim discovery came after a joint operation on June 5, when 225 bone pieces, including tiger skulls, were seized from a trio of suspected poachers near Sheopur, just 30 km from Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve’s southern boundary. The samples were sent to a forensic lab in Jabalpur, which has now concluded that the remains belonged to three different tigers and a leopard.
The seized evidence has since been forwarded to the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, where advanced DNA matching is underway to determine the exact origin of the big cats — whether from Ranthambhore, Panna, or Madhav tiger reserves. Officials say the final report could take up to three weeks.
Ranthambhore Back in the Crosshairs
According to a senior forest officer in Bhopal, the location of the seizure and patterns of past tiger migration strongly point to Ranthambhore. “There is some movement from Panna but the region where these poachers operated lies much closer to Ranthambhore. We suspect the tigers were taken from there,” the officer said.
This suspected link to Ranthambhore has revived troubling memories of the early 2000s, when a spate of poaching wiped out a significant portion of the tiger population. Those familiar with those dark years are especially alarmed by the reappearance of the Mogiya tribe in the latest arrests.
The Mogiyas: A Familiar and Dangerous Name
One of the main accused, Dauji Bheel, is a Mogiya tribal from Dausa, Rajasthan — a community historically linked to poaching in the region. Notably, Dauji is related to Devi Singh, a self-confessed poacher who admitted to killing five tigers in Ranthambhore between 2002 and 2004.
Dauji was arrested along with Sunita Dauji and Besta Bheel of Sheopur. Their interrogation led to further arrests of three more men: Baniram Moghiya, Naresh (both from Shivpuri), and Rajaram Moghiya from Tonk, Rajasthan. Forest officials say these arrests confirm the operation of an inter-state poaching syndicate with deep-rooted connections and evolving methods.
Hawala, Digital Payments, and a Wider Conspiracy
This case appears to be more than an isolated incident. In March 2025, The Indian Express reported a multi-state poaching network operating from Central India, involving hawala transactions, digital payments, and a complex supply chain reaching Nepal and Myanmar.
Investigators believe over 100 tigers may have been killed since 2022, making it one of the most alarming poaching crises in recent decades. Sources say the recent seizure near Sheopur might just be the tip of the iceberg.
Forest Departments in Overdrive
Following the DNA confirmation, a coordinated probe between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh forest departments has been launched. Ranthambhore field director K. R. Anoop has already submitted a detailed report to Rajasthan’s Chief Wildlife Warden, indicating that preliminary investigations confirm the bones belong to tigers.
“Further investigation is on to trace the exact origin of the animals and break the supply chain,” the report states.
Why This Matters
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, one of India’s most iconic wildlife sanctuaries, is not just a tourist hotspot but also a critical habitat in the global effort to conserve tigers. The re-emergence of organized poaching in its buffer zones threatens not just the reserve’s reputation, but the very survival of its tiger population.
With India hosting over 70% of the world’s wild tigers, poaching remains the single largest threat to their survival. Experts emphasize the need for advanced surveillance, community outreach programs, and cross-border intelligence sharing to stop the illegal trade in wildlife parts.
What’s Next
Authorities await confirmation from NCBS, which will match DNA from the seized bones with tiger profiles in national databases. If the tigers are confirmed to be from Ranthambhore, it could lead to a major shake-up in conservation strategies, tighter enforcement in buffer zones, and possibly international scrutiny.
For now, the forest departments of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are racing against time to uncover the full scale of this trafficking ring — hoping to prevent another dark chapter in India’s tiger conservation story.
