12-year-old dies in accidental shooting at home:Father, involved in illegal hunting, meat and hide supply, evades authorities until arrested

Bhopal’s third-class student, 12-year-old Ibrahim Khan, died on 31 January after being accidentally shot with his father’s illegal pistol at home. Gautam Nagar police revealed during questioning of his father, Rezwan Lala, that he is a member of an interstate hunting gang. Rezwan had been absconding for two years following his involvement in the notorious Indore poaching case. A reward of Rs 10,000 had been announced for his capture. He admitted to hunting across multiple districts and supplying meat and animal skins with his gang members up to Mumbai. Rezwan had long evaded the Forest Department and Indore police. He was arrested on 3 February and sent to jail. The Forest Department team from Indore is preparing to take him into further custody. Meanwhile, Rezwan’s associate, Amir alias Mamma, remains at large in connection with the Indore poaching case. A reward of ₹20,000 has been announced for him. Know about the case in which Rizwan was absconding In December 2024, three poachers were arrested near Kishanganj police station, Mahu, Indore. Around 65 kilograms of blackbuck meat were seized from their vehicle. In November 2025, the Tiger Strike Force (TSF) also arrested the fourth accused, Sabah, from Mumbai. During remand, Sabah made several disclosures. He said he procured meat from Bhopal’s Rezwan Lala and Amir Mamma and transported it by road to Mumbai, selling it to buyers at Rs 1,000–1,500 per kilogram. He revealed that the meat was supplied to affluent families. He recruited customers via WhatsApp groups and also connected with buyers on Telegram. Customer details were maintained in a personal WhatsApp group, but by the time he was arrested, both apps had been completely cleared. Rizwan worked as a peddler In December 2025, Imtiaz was the first arrested in this case. He told the Forest team that he had learned firearm use from national-level shooter Amir and that the gang had imported rifles from Sweden worth Rs 50 lakh for hunting. Later, the State Tiger Strike Force arrested Sabah’s father, Salahuddin, from Jogeshwari, Mumbai. Rezwan Lala acted as a supplier within the gang, which sold deer, chital, and sambar skins to Mumbai and other states. 65 kg meat found in luxury car On 3 December 2024, police near Kishanganj, Indore, stopped a luxury car during routine checks. Around 65 kilograms of meat were seized from the vehicle. The passengers — Johar Hussain (son of Ibrahim) from Millat Nagar, Mumbai, Salman (son of Haroon) from Momin Nagar, Mumbai, and Imtiaz (son of Shakri Khan) from Andheri West, Mumbai — were arrested. During questioning, the poachers revealed they had brought the meat from Bhopal, supplied by Rezwan and Amir. The case was handed over to the Tiger Strike Force, which interrogated Imtiaz, Salman, and Johar Hussain separately. Swedish gun was also recovered from smugglers They admitted to hunting in Satpura Tiger Reserve and Kanha National Park for sambar and barasingha. Some gang members operate in Mahim, Andheri, and Bhayandar, Mumbai, besides Bhopal. In June 2025, Imtiaz’s phone contained photos and videos of hunts for deer, chital, and barasingha. The force also seized a Swedish rifle valued at ₹50 lakh, used specifically for hunting. The accused maintained regular contact with Bhopal’s Amir Mamma and Rezwan Lala. A country-made 12-bore gun was also seized on their identification. All accused remain in Indore jail. Now Imtiaz-Salman will face each other The Tiger Strike Force is preparing a confrontation between Rezwan and Imtiaz and Salman. Indore Forest Team applied to the Bhopal court for Rezwan’s questioning. Prior to this, the Forest and Tiger Strike Force had questioned the arrested accused twice. Rizwan prisoner number 6583 in judicial custody On 3 February, the court sent Rezwan Lala to 14 days of judicial custody. He is currently held in B Block of Bhopal Central Jail with a new inmate number 6583. After his arrest, police are monitoring other gang members closely. Arrested due to contradictory statements from family members Rezwan Lala’s 12-year-old son, Ibrahim Khan, died from a gunshot in Karim Bakhsh Colony, Bhopal. Family members attempted to erase evidence by cleaning the room. Conflicting statements from the mother, father, and uncle prompted a discreet three-day investigation. Ibrahim’s uncle, Rehan, told police that he was home at the time. Around 1:30 am, the mother and sister-in-law were having dinner when the shot was fired. The sister-in-law found Ibrahim on the first floor, bloodied. Rehan rushed to the room and immediately took the unconscious child to the hospital. Ibrahim’s elder brother was not at home during the incident. The child was found in the balcony on Friday night and died Saturday morning. Rizwan had said – The pistol belonged to brother-in-law Wahid Rezwan stated the pistol belonged to his brother-in-law, Wahid Noor. It had been at their home during cleaning when the child accidentally fired the weapon, the bullet striking him in the temple. Rezwan could not explain why the loaded pistol was kept at home. Police seized over two dozen used cartridge cases from the house. Rezwan also admitted to holding a licensed rifle in his name.