Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal
Bhopal, Aug 16: The Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) has summoned Wildlife SOS CEO Kartick Satyanarayan for questioning after investigators allegedly found links between two arrested wildlife traders and the Delhi-based wildlife conservation organisation in a suspected leopard poaching and trafficking network.
Investigators have reportedly found that Bhagwan Singh alias Salim, a seasoned wildlife-contraband trader, and his associate Wasim were allegedly on the payroll of Wildlife SOS. During interrogation, the two reportedly told investigators that they were acting on instructions from Satyanarayan.
The STSF has now issued a notice directing Satyanarayan to appear before the investigating officer in Shivpuri on August 17. Investigators claim to have recovered substantial digital evidence and are examining allegations that an operation was allegedly conducted for personal gains, including whether poaching incidents were organised and seizures staged to strengthen the anti-poaching image of Satyanarayan and the NGO.
Madhya Pradesh chief wildlife warden Sameeta Rajoura said the two key accused, who were allegedly employed by Wildlife SOS, had named Satyanarayan, following which he was asked to appear before the investigating officer. She said the department was coordinating with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and would take all necessary steps to protect the state's forests.
Satyanarayan did not respond to emails, messages or phone calls seeking his response. Wildlife SOS co-founder and secretary Geeta Seshamani was also unavailable for comment.
The investigation began after four alleged poachers were arrested on the Gwalior-Agra highway on July 23 with 10 leopard skins. Wildlife SOS had at the time credited months of surveillance by its Forest Watch anti-poaching unit for helping uncover the alleged trafficking operation.
However, because the leopard skins were believed to have originated in Madhya Pradesh, the state STSF launched a parallel investigation. That probe subsequently led investigators to several locations in the forests of Shivpuri and Morena where leopard remains had allegedly been buried.
The remains have been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for DNA analysis to determine whether they match the leopard skins seized on July 23.
Investigators also recovered three leg-hold traps. The trail allegedly led them to Bhagwan Singh, who was arrested by the MP STSF on August 11, and subsequently to Wasim, who was arrested on August 13.
A senior Madhya Pradesh forest official said the investigation had established that Singh, who has a long history in the wildlife trade, had allegedly been on the NGO's payroll for at least five years. Wasim was also identified as an alleged Wildlife SOS employee.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, Singh and his associates allegedly used a Wildlife SOS vehicle to scout forest areas around Shivpuri and Morena. The vehicle has since been taken into STSF custody.
Investigators allege that leg-hold traps sourced from Haryana were distributed to selected local hunters. Sources further claimed that Singh arranged for four alleged poachers to transport the 10 leopard skins to a supposed buyer near a roadside dhaba on the Gwalior-Agra highway, where Uttar Pradesh Police subsequently arrested them.
Forest officials are now questioning why the alleged operation continued until 10 leopards had been killed if it was intended solely to identify and arrest poachers.
A Forest department source questioned the alleged use of traps in a sensitive landscape where cheetahs are also present. Officials in Bhopal have reportedly not ruled out the possibility that tigers could also have been caught in the same trapping network, although tiger presence in the Shivpuri landscape is currently sporadic.
A retired forest official suggested that the alleged operation could resemble a known wildlife-trafficking pattern in which traffickers sell high-value animal parts for profit while allowing rivals to be arrested with lower-value material, thereby enhancing their own reputation and potentially attracting donors and grants.
The official also pointed to Wildlife SOS's fundraising activities connected to rescued bear cubs at Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park, under a memorandum of understanding with the state government that is due to expire next month.
The arrest of Singh has also brought renewed attention to an earlier wildlife case in Tamil Nadu.
According to Tamil Nadu Forest department sources, Singh, a former Delhi Police officer who was dismissed from service, and Wasim were reportedly present in the Sathyamangalam forest area in 2023 when authorities seized a tiger skin, a leopard skin and a tiger skeleton.
Wildlife SOS had claimed credit for the seizure at the time, as well as for the subsequent conviction of the alleged poachers.
The latest investigation is therefore examining whether the activities uncovered in Madhya Pradesh could be connected to a wider network and whether similar incidents occurred in other parts of the country.
Wildlife SOS was co-founded by Satyanarayan and Geeta Seshamani in 1995. The organisation initially established a bear rescue centre in Agra and later expanded its work to include an elephant facility in Mathura and other wildlife conservation and rescue initiatives across India through agreements with state governments and various sub-centres.
The allegations against Satyanarayan and Wildlife SOS remain part of an ongoing investigation, and the claims have not been established in court. The questioning scheduled for August 17 is expected to provide investigators with further information about the alleged links between the NGO, the arrested wildlife traders and the suspected poaching network.