The Hindu : The kidnap season again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

The kidnap season again

By K. T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI Aug. 26. When he strikes in July-August, the forest bandit virtually strikes gold. Whether it is sheer coincidence or not, some of his major acts of taking revenge on ``police informers'' or kidnapping officials were committed in the two months.

The killing of five persons, whom Veerappan suspected of having passed on information to the police, took place in August 1995 at Punajanur in Mysore district. Similarly, the poacher-turned sandalwood smuggler took 10 Karnataka forest department officials hostage from the Buruda region in B.R.Hills in July 1997. Topping the list was the kidnap of the Kannada actor, Rajkumar, from his farm house at Dhodda Gajanure in the Thalawady forests in Erode district in July 2000.

Even as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are recovering from the shock of the incident— he was released after 108 days in captivity— comes the kidnapping of H. Nagappa, former Karnataka Minister from his house in a Kollegal village.

Though the incident occurred within Karnataka, the fact that the kidnapper is a Tamil and the possible repercussions in both the States cannot be lost sight of, a senior police officer told The Hindu. Acknowledging that the Special Task Force faced an uphill task in nabbing the ``mountain rat'', a sobriquet Veerappan earned after his ``escapades and acts of daredevilry'', the officer, when contacted said the Nagappa kidnap should cause concern to the Tamil Nadu STF too as the bandit was shuttling between the two States.

As Tamil Nadu authorities are awaiting a ``full official report,'' it still remains a mystery how Veerappan and his gang, numbering eight, appeared in the village and kidnapped the former Minister.

According to information reaching the STF, the gang and its hostage walked nearly two km before boarding a KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) bus. Whether police intelligence has provided good leads or not, Veerappan seems to have an upperhand, with his meticulous planning and collection of `intelligence'.

After releasing Mr. Rajkumar, Veerappan, escaped in a car brought for him by his associates.

The vehicle was later seized by the police. His whereabouts were not known after a ``close encounter'' the police had at Semmandhimalai, near Walayar on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in February last year. In a face-saver, the police authorities maintained that the bandit could have escaped into the Kerala side of the forest.

After their 15-year long hunt, the police seem to realise that the `Veerappan menace' has assumed greater proportions now.

``He could have been easily caught long ago, had there been a clear political will to nab him'', remarked an officer.

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