Trophy-hunting syndicate of the rich & influential exposed

BHOPAL: What began as a wildlife meat seizure of blackbuck and sambar in Madhya Pradesh has exploded into one of India's most chilling wildlife crime investigations - a sprawling probe that has unearthed an alleged trophy-hunting syndicate operating across nine districts, linked to affluent clients, rifle-club insiders and even cross-border hunting circles. Nearly a year after three Mumbai-based youths were arrested, forensic specialists have cracked encrypted mobile data from seized phones, uncovering a cache of videos, GPS logs and chat records that laid bare a covert commercial game-hunting racket posing as "sports gatherings". A total of 60 kills of blackbuck, chinkara and sambar have been established between 2022 and 2024. The operation, investigators say, turned protected forests i