Two held a cheetah over death; firearm not yet located

It was the first shooting of a cheetah since Project Cheetah, a reintroduction program for the species, was launched in September 2022. Photo credit: X/ byadavbjp

Two people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a cheetah cub in Kuno National Park, officials said on Friday (Oct 30, 2026).

A senior wildlife official told The Hindu that two people have been arrested after questioning. “The arrest was made by a special task force formed under the Arms Act, after which the accused were produced before the court. They are currently in police custody and we will take custody soon,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

“The case will be solved very soon and we will reveal everything in a day or two. Several teams are working at the moment,” the official said, adding that more than five forest personnel have been suspended.

However, another senior conservation official said the two persons were detained on Thursday (October 29) evening, while the weapon, believed to be a country-made bharmar weapon, was yet to be recovered.

“Several people in the villages near where the cub was found have been questioned so far and based on this, two locals were detained last night (Thursday). They were arrested today. Searches were also conducted in the area to recover a weapon,” the official said, adding that the accused were being questioned about the circumstances surrounding the incident and the firearm used.

Earlier on Thursday (October 29), officials said investigative teams were scanning a large area and mapping the cub’s movements over 15-20 days based on its tracking radio collar.

The probe is being led by a four-member special task force formed by the state government along with the State Tiger Strike Squad

Officials suspect that the weapon used in the shooting is an “agricultural bharmar weapon”, a traditional single-shot, muzzle-loading, smooth-bore firearm popular in the rural and forested parts of the region.

A 19-month-old cub, KNG22, a descendant of South African cheetah Nirva, was found with five gunshot wounds in Sheopur Forest Division on October 25 and died during treatment on October 27 in Jabalpur. It was the first shooting of a cheetah since Project Cheetah, a reintroduction program for the species, was launched in September 2022.

Published – 30 Oct 2026 22:39 IST