Veerappan bid to get temporary relief?

By G. Satyamurty

COIMBATORE, NOV. 20. By offering to surrender, the forest brigand Veerappan is trying to get some ``temporary relief'' from the pressure mounted by the Special Task Force, according to top police sources.

``Such offers are quite common from gangs of this nature,'' a senior officer said.

He said the ``mannerisms and the pattern of speech'' in the audio-tape, purportedly sent to an editor of a magazine in Chennai by Veerappan, indicated that the ``tape could be genuine.'' Had it not been genuine, he would have issued a rebuttal through some media or other by now, he said.

``However, we would not like to jump at the surrender offer because this is the fourth or the fifth time that he has chosen to do so in a bid to gain some time.''

Citing various instances, including the dastardly murder of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Srinivas, by Veerappan, STF sources said he was one who had no qualms about reneging on his promises.

Though the sources would not like to describe the offer as a ``diversionary'' move, they see two important reasons behind the current ``drama.''

The police had already started making ``some recovery'' of the money given to some of his family members. ``Veerappan might need some time to gain access to the money he has stashed away somewhere. If he gets a positive response to his offer, he might be able to get some temporary reprieve and can access the stashed funds.''

Another reason might be that the STF was probably ``tightening the screws all around him and he is badly in need of a breather.''

The sources said there had been absolutely no let-up in the operations which had been extended even to the Silent Valley region in Kerala and Bandipur forests in Karnataka, apart from the jungles on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border.

Meanwhile, the STF personnel, led by Mr. Mr. K. Ashok Kumar, ADSP, entered the jungles in the western ghats from Kandavayal (near Sirumugai in Mettupalayam taluk).

Veerappan is believed to have a thorough knowledge of the terrain near Kandavayal. It was from there he abducted Mr. Chidambaranathan, DSP, and two others in 1994. The STF suspect that the tribals in this belt might be extending some help to him.

There have been reports about some people carrying food material in huge quantities deep into the jungles, suspected to be for the Veerappan gang.

Unconfirmed reports said the combing team intercepted three persons found moving around with a country-made rifle in the Itchipaly forest area. While one of them managed to escape, the other two have been taken to the Sathyamangalam STF base for interrogation.

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