4 min readBhopalUpdated: Mar 29, 2026 01:20 PM IST
A radio-collared tigress translocated from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve into the Satpura landscape was poisoned and buried in a pit in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, following which at least five people were arrested.
Forest teams recovered the carcass on Friday morning from the Sanga Kheda range under the South Chhindwara forest division after a search operation triggered by the animal’s last known collar location. The operation, involving Satpura Tiger Reserve buffer staff and local forest personnel, first led to the discovery of a partially eaten ox carcass in a forest patch on revenue land near compartments P-266 and P-262 of Chhatiaam beat. Suspecting poisoning, officials expanded the search with a dog squad and located the tiger’s body buried nearby around 8.30 am.
The tigress, about four-and-a-half years old, had been rewilded and released into the Satpura landscape in December 2024. Officials said she had moved beyond protected forest limits and established territory in a human-dominated fringe, a pattern increasingly observed as tiger populations expanded.
A senior wildlife official said the radio-collared tigress had been released into the wild about one-and-a-half years ago and had recently been cleared for collar removal. “On March 26, when the Denwa buffer staff tracked the collar location, they reached agricultural fields in Chhatiaam village and found a dead ox. That raised suspicion,” said Field Director Rakhi Nanda.
She added that the team immediately alerted higher authorities, following which a forest dog squad from the Satpura Tiger Reserve and Chhindwara divisions was deployed. “The dog tracked the scent from the site and stopped near a hut belonging to a farmer, Uday Singh. When questioned, he admitted to poisoning the carcass after the tiger killed his ox,” she said.
A senior wildlife official said a case has been registered against the five accused under the Wildlife Protection Act. “All five have been arrested and produced before the court. The post-mortem of the tiger has confirmed death due to poisoning,” he said.
Investigators say the killing was an act of retaliation. The owner of the ox, identified as a 50-year-old resident of Chhatiaam village, allegedly laced the carcass with pesticide after the animal was killed by the tiger. The poisoned bait was then left in the open, leading to the tigress’s death. He later allegedly buried the carcass with the help of others to conceal the crime.
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Based on his confession, three more villagers from Chhindwara and neighbouring Narmadapuram district were arrested. In a parallel version of the case, police have indicated a fifth arrest, with officials also probing links between some of the accused and illegal opium cultivation in the region.
Senior forest officials said all body parts of the tigress were found intact, ruling out immediate evidence of trade-linked poaching, though interrogation is ongoing to verify whether there was any larger conspiracy or prior planning. The exact toxic substance used is also being examined.
The carcass was later cremated as per protocol in the presence of senior officials, including field staff linked to both Satpura and Chhindwara divisions.
The killing adds to a troubling trend. At least 14 tiger deaths have been reported in Madhya Pradesh since January, highlighting the growing friction between expanding tiger populations and communities living along forest edges, where livestock depredation often triggers retaliatory violence.
