Man-eater tigress Avni shot dead in Maharashtra

Mumbai : Tigress Avni, who is believed to have killed over 13 people, has been shot dead by the authorities in Maharashtra. The forest officials had been conducting a massive search operation for the last three months.

"Avni was shot dead by sharp-shooter Asgar Ali, son of famous sharp-shooter Nawab Shafat Ali, at compartment number 149 of Borati forest under the jurisdiction of the Ralegaon police station," a police official said.

Supreme Court had officially allowed the officials to hunt down tigress Avni or T1 (official name) in September, triggering a flurry of online petitions.

Avni is survived by her two cubs who are 10 months old. "Urine of another tigress and American perfume was spread in some part of the compartment, following which Avni came by sniffing it," he said.

"Avni, who was known in Pandharkawda forest area, had killed 13 people over the last two years in the region," the official said.

A team of 150 people equipped with the latest technology had been hunting Avni after reports of missing men, apparently killed by the tigress.