3 arrested for allegedly killing tiger known as ‘lockdown’ in Kanha Reserve

Wild activist Ajay Dubey said this incident raises the serious question on the security of tigers as the forest department came to know about the death after three months

Published on: Oct 27, 2025, 22:32:56 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: Three people have been arrested for allegedly killing a five-year-old male tiger, locally known as ‘lockdown’, as he was born during imposition of lockdown to contain Covid 19, in the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Monday.

A forest official said the accused were trying to sell the tiger skin for occult practise in the area. (Representational image)

A joint team of forest and police arrested Mistar Singh and Govind Singh, residents of Bhimpuri village, with tiger skin on the night of October Saturday night. The team arrested another accused, Aghhan, a resident of Ataria, on Sunday.

The accused were trying to sell the skin for occult practise in the area.

“The accused informed the police that they laid a live electric wire to kill a wild boar but the male tiger aged five years, which was popularly known as ‘lockdown’, was electrocuted to death about three months ago. The accused didn’t inform the forest official but hid the body. Later, they removed the skin and also disposed of the other parts of the carcass to sell it to local occultists,” said L Krishnamurthy, additional principal chief conservator of forest (APCCF), wildlife.

As of now, the probe team didn’t find any involvement of organised gangs or poachers but investigation is going on, he added.

Lockdown was popular among tourists in the Bichiya area of Kanha Tiger Reserve.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said, “This incident raises the serious question on the security of tigers as the forest department came to know about the death after three months. How they are tracking other tigers when they failed to track the popular one!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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