Fourteen SUVs believed to be on an off-roading experience trip from five states were caught in Zone 8 - an area not open to public access via vehicles - of Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur, forest department officers said.
The vehicles came from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, the officers said.
The forest department has suspended two rangers for the lapse.
On August 15, at least 12 Mahindra Thar and two Scorpio SUVs managed to sneak into the ecologically fragile tiger reserve for a private safari led by a tour organiser called Adventure Tours.
When visuals of the SUVs inside the zone where personal vehicles were not allowed went viral on social media, the forest department swung into action. It was suspected some forest rangers had illegally allowed the private vehicles into the park.
"It is a matter of illegal entry. We have seized the vehicles. We are further investigating the matter," divisional forest officer Ramamnand Bhakkar told NDTV.
During monsoon, the wildlife park is shut for all safaris, which makes it all the more surprising that private vehicles were found inside the park, sources said.
A video of the vehicles inside the park also shows the visitors walking around in Zone 8. It appeared one of the vehicles got stuck. This video was taken by a local. It exposed the illegal entry of private SUVs inside the tiger reserve.
Off-roader and rally driver Rattan Dhillon also posted visuals of the incident on X.
Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 violators could be fined up to Rs 1 lakh.
Featured Video Of The Day
Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Send Reports Every 2 Hours: Centre To States On Kolkata Horror Protests For Debate Against Kamala Harris, Donald Trump Picks This Hindu American 2 Killed In West Bank Strike, Israel Says It Targeted "Terrorist Cell'' 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Russia, Several Aftershocks Recorded Prohibitory Orders In Kolkata Amid Protests Over Doctor's Rape-Murder Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.