Major Wildlife Trafficking Ring Exposed: Blackbuck Meat Sold to Elite Families Across India and Beyond

Investigators are working to recover deleted communications and media from confiscated mobile devices.

Bhopal:

What started as a simple vehicle inspection near Indore has exposed one of the most alarming wildlife crime operations in recent memory – a sophisticated Blackbuck poaching and meat trafficking network that reportedly supplied endangered animal products to affluent and politically connected families across Mumbai and beyond.

The Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) reports that the criminal enterprise operated with exceptional coordination, utilizing Swedish firearms valued at Rs 50 lakh, customized SUVs, and even leaked information from forest officials to conduct hunts in protected wildlife areas including Satpura Tiger Reserve and Kanha National Park.

Sabah Antulay, a Commerce graduate from the University of Mumbai employed at a Middle Eastern airline's customer service department, was apprehended in Mumbai's Jogeshwari area.

During questioning, Sabah allegedly admitted to functioning as the crucial intermediary between hunters and elite customers, delivering Blackbuck, Chital, and Sambar meat to wealthy and politically influential families through secure messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

"He disclosed that certain forest officials provided him with intelligence about animal movements," revealed a senior STSF officer, noting that Sabah maintained a private WhatsApp group containing his high-profile clientele but deleted both applications prior to his arrest.

Authorities are working to retrieve deleted conversations and media content from the confiscated devices.

Sabah's capture follows nearly a year after the arrest of three associates – Johar Hussain, Imtiyaz Khan, and Salman, all Mumbai residents. In December 2024, police in Kishanganj, near Indore, stopped their luxury vehicle during a routine check and discovered 65 kg of wild animal meat, subsequently identified as Blackbuck and Chinkara.

The ensuing investigation revealed a network of poachers operating from Bhopal, Mahim, Andheri, and Bhayander, trained by a Bhopal-based national-level marksman named Aamir, who remains at large.

The suspects reportedly employed imported Swedish rifles capable of silent precision shooting, acquired for approximately Rs 50 lakh. Two of these weapons were recovered from a Bhopal farmhouse, buried underground alongside ammunition.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that their poaching operation began in 2022 when they established local connections during a significant religious gathering near Bhopal. By 2023, they had expanded throughout Madhya Pradesh's forests, utilizing high-end MUVs for coordinated hunts and transporting meat to Maharashtra.

STSF sources indicated the operation extended beyond India's borders. Sabah's interrogation suggested that Blackbuck meat and hide were being supplied to Arab countries, with buyers paying premium prices.

Digital evidence collected thus far shows the group operated closed social media circles where members shared live locations of antelope herds, organized hunting expeditions, and discussed international hunting trips in Africa.

"They sometimes hunted four to five antelopes in a single day," an officer stated. "What began as informal hunting in Madhya Pradesh evolved into a sophisticated illegal enterprise with international buyers."

The STSF is developing a supplementary chargesheet based on photographs, videos, and communication data recovered from Imtiyaz's mobile phone, while other devices remain under analysis.

Imtiyaz and Salman will likely face a third round of questioning under renewed detention.

As the investigation continues, it reveals a troubling intersection of wealth, privilege, and power with wildlife crime, where the Blackbuck – once celebrated in India's grasslands – becomes merely another luxury commodity for wealthy consumers.