It's been 46 days since tigress T1 was shot dead by hunter Asghar Ali, and his gun is yet to be submitted to the authorities for ballistic tests. Mercifully, Asghar and his trigger-happy father, Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, are also missing in the efforts to search for T1's cubs. The mission to rescue the cubs will begin in full swing, with the help of an expert veterinarian from Madhya Pradesh and four elephants, from Thursday.

Where's the gun?
T1, also called Avni by activists, was shot dead on November 3 by Asghar. After shooting her, he had returned to Telangana along with his weapon, for which he faced huge criticism from activists attached to the Save Avni Group. The Maharashtra Forest Department also faced criticism for allowing the gun to slip out of their hands. On November 21, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi wrote an email to Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar: "Why are Shafat and his son being allowed to still roam the forests? Are they still your guests in the Maharashtra jungles? They are under inquiry. Why have they not surrendered their weapons to the forest department? Their presence in your state and their defence of you is extremely suspicious."