Exclusive: Tigress MT-1 Poisoned And Gone, Forest Department Says "We Don't Know"

Where is Tigress MT-1 of Shivpuri's Madhav Tiger Reserve? The state forest department says it doesn't know. But an alleged poacher says he does. His name is Saujiram Mongia, and on camera, he has confessed he killed her by poisoning.

In a case that reads like a chilling wildlife crime thriller, NDTV has the recorded confession of Saujiram Mongia, a key accused in what appears to be a major cover-up in the heart of Madhya Pradesh's forests. The State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), in a massive operation, arrested an interstate poaching gang. And one name stood out: Saujiram Mongia the man who says he ended MT-1's life.

MT-1 wasn't just any tigress. She was one of the monitored big cats in Shivpuri's protected reserve fitted with a satellite radio collar, tracked, protected - at least, that's what the public was told. But today, she is untraceable. Vanished. And the department responsible for protecting her says it has no clue.

Saujiram's statement came after STSF arrested another accused, Dauji Bhil. During interrogation, Dauji named his samdhi Saujiram as the one who poisoned the tigress. The STF tracked Saujiram down and arrested him from Patel Chowk in Shivpuri. On the way to court, he didn't hesitate "Yes, I killed her," he said, looking straight into the camera.

While the confession sent shockwaves, his son Jai Singh Mongia has denied the allegations. "My father has been unnecessarily implicated. Dauji Bhil has dragged him into a false case," he claimed. Jai Singh also said that his father voluntarily presented himself to the forest department after receiving a warrant.

The silence from the authorities, however, is even more deafening. When NDTV reached out to Uttam Sharma, the Chief Forest Conservator of Madhav Tiger Reserve, he appeared clueless. "I don't know about the STF action. I have no evidence of what the poacher is saying," he said. On being questioned why MT-1 wasn't being tracked via radio collar, he offered a flimsy explanation the battery had died. The collar, he said, was fitted on March 10, 2023, and lasted just a year.

That's not all. In the same STF operation, six people Dauji Bhil, Raja Bhil, Sunita Bai, Baniram Bhil, Naresh Bhil, and Raju Bhil were arrested. Authorities seized 225 wildlife organs, mostly bones, allegedly linked to multiple hunts. Raja Bhil's anticipatory bail was rejected on July 26. All accused are now in judicial custody in Shivpuri Central Jail.

What makes this story more explosive is that BJP MLA Devendra Jain has himself alleged a cover-up. He has stated publicly that MT-1 was hunted near Atal Sagar dam under Narwar tehsil. And if the tigress hasn't been poached, he asks, then where is she? Why won't the government or the park management disclose her location?

Adding fuel to the fire, wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has made serious allegations. He claims the forest department knew about the poaching incident on June 4 but chose to hide it. It was only after he wrote to the NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) that the matter was reluctantly made public on June 27.

"There was a big poacher caught in Madhav National Park earlier Dubey told NDTV. "Now, a radio-collared tigress has disappeared. Where is she? The forest department has been silent for six months. They are hiding irregularities and have become part of the rot."