The recovery of three tiger skins in Chhattisgarh within a week has intensified scrutiny of suspected poaching around the Indravati Tiger Reserve and triggered demands for a central probe into the alleged interstate trafficking network.

The investigation began after two Maharashtra Police personnel were arrested on June 29 in Kanker district with two tiger skins. A subsequent investigation led to five more arrests and the recovery of a third skin near the Indravati River on July 5. Authorities have repeatedly stressed that it has not yet been scientifically established that all the seized skins came from tigers killed inside the reserve.

The case has also brought police personnel under scrutiny. Two Maharashtra Police personnel were arrested in the initial operation, while three Chhattisgarh forest personnel were later suspended for alleged negligence. The evidence does not, however, establish guilt against every person named or questioned in the investigation.

June 29: Two Skins Seized

The case took a major turn on June 29, 2026, when a joint anti-poaching operation intercepted two Maharashtra Police personnel near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Kanker.

The suspects, identified as Baburao Madavi and Bijeshwar Gedam, were allegedly transporting two tiger skins on a motorcycle. Forest officials said the operation followed intelligence shared by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and was conducted by multiple anti-poaching and forest agencies.

Investigators subsequently searched Gedam's residence in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district and reportedly recovered a large quantity of pangolin scales, raising suspicion of trafficking involving more than one protected species.

July 5: Third Skin Found

The investigation widened after searches along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border led to the recovery of a third tiger skin near the Indravati River on July 5.

Investigators also reportedly seized snares, knives, 12 tiger claws and four canine teeth from houses in Netiwada village. Samples from the seized wildlife remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for DNA analysis to determine their genetic and geographical origin.

The scientific testing is significant because officials have not yet confirmed that every seized skin belonged to a tiger from Indravati Tiger Reserve.

Interstate Network Emerges

The investigation has raised suspicion of a network extending across state boundaries.

According to officials cited in reports, the two Maharashtra Police personnel were allegedly acting as intermediaries in a wider trafficking chain. Questioning and subsequent searches reportedly led investigators to additional suspects and the third tiger skin.

The suspected network is being examined against the backdrop of the nearly 400-km wildlife corridor connecting forests in Maharashtra with Indravati, Abujhmad, Udanti Sitanadi and Odisha's Sunabeda landscape.

This corridor is important for the movement of tigers and other wildlife between habitats.

Police Roles Under Probe

The involvement of police personnel has become one of the most sensitive aspects of the case.

Both Madavi and Gedam were reportedly serving with Maharashtra Police when they were arrested. Chhattisgarh Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap told the state Assembly that Gedam was posted with the Maharashtra Police Special Branch's intelligence cell in Gadchiroli, while Madavi was a police informer. Maharashtra Police subsequently suspended Gedam and disengaged Madavi, according to the minister's statement.

These actions concern the two arrested personnel and should not be interpreted as proof of a wider police conspiracy.

Forest Staff Also Suspended

The investigation has also raised questions about protection arrangements inside Indravati Tiger Reserve.

Three forest personnel posted in the reserve's Pasewada range — Forest Ranger Kamal Singh Kashyap, Deputy Ranger Narhari Singh Baghel and Forest Guard Vishwanath Manjhi — were suspended for alleged negligence.

Their suspension is an administrative action over alleged lapses and does not establish that they participated in poaching or trafficking.

Officials have also been checking whether the seized skins came from tigers living inside the reserve. The 2022 tiger assessment recorded a small tiger population in Indravati, making every confirmed loss particularly significant.

Why Central Probe Is Sought

The scale and interstate nature of the suspected network have fuelled calls for an independent investigation. Critics argue that a probe involving suspects from more than one state, alleged links to serving police personnel and suspected trafficking of protected wildlife requires scrutiny beyond a single local investigation.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority already works with state agencies, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the CBI on wildlife-crime prevention and intelligence sharing. It also advises states to search forest floors for snares and strengthen anti-poaching operations.

However, claims that the CBI has formally taken over the Indravati case should not be made without an official order. The demand for a CBI inquiry and an actual transfer of investigation are two different developments.

Investigation Remains Open

The Chhattisgarh government told the Assembly that five tiger-poaching or trafficking cases had been detected in the state since 2024, involving six seized skins and 41 arrests. It also said it had not been scientifically established that all six skins came from Indravati Tiger Reserve.

The current case therefore remains a suspected poaching and trafficking investigation, not a proven account of how many Indravati tigers were killed.

DNA analysis, further interrogation and investigation into the alleged interstate chain will be crucial. Until those findings emerge, the roles of individual suspects, including police personnel, must be treated as allegations rather than established guilt.