Veerappan

Veerapan

photo by: cgbalu

Veerapan is a Villian Hero.

He was shot dead. Many questions like by whom he was let to live so long will remain un answered. Though he was a villian pouching forest - killing Elephants for tuskers- supporting terrorist groups - kidnapping people he remained a hero and made the society to remember him.

BAD:

Trail of blood and gore

1955: Veerappan at the age of 10, poaches an elephant. Over 25 years, he kills 300 tuskers for ivory.

1986: The Karnataka police nab Veerappan; he escapes killing 4 policemen and a forest official.

Jan. 1990: Kills a sub-inspector and a head constable after the Tamil Nadu (TN) police shoot 2 of his colleagues.

May 1990: Govt sets up Special Task Force (STF) to nab Veerappan.

Nov. 1991: Beheads R. Srinivas, deputy conservator of forests.

Feb. 1992: Kidnaps the son of a granite quarry owner in Karnataka for a ransom of Rs 1 crore. Quarry owner pays Rs 15 lakh.

June 1992: STF kills 4 of Veerappan’s gang. He avenges 2 months later by killing STF superintendent Harikrishna and 5 others.

April-August 1993: Blows up a bus carrying TN police, killing 22 and injuring superintendent ‘Rambo’ Gopalakrishnan (left). Attacks Karnataka police superintendent, Gopal Hosur and party, killing 6. The BSF called in; it nabs 19 gang members. Subsequent encounters claim the lives of 18 gang members and 3 policemen.

Dec. 1994: Veerappan’s brother Arjunan and colleagues, Ayyadurai and Rangaswamy, surrender. They die of poisoning in STF custody.

Nov.-Dec. 1995: Kidnaps 3 forest officials and demands Rs 5 crore as ransom. Hostages set free 20 days later after Rs 3.5 lakh is paid. Later kills two STF personnel to avenge the deaths of Arjunan and Rangaswamy.

July 1997: Kidnaps 10 forest personnel. Sends one back with a surrender offer on cassette. On August 5, another hostage reaches Chennai with the Tamil Magazine Nakkeeran's editor R.R. Gopal, who negotiates on the govt's behalf. Others released later.

July 2000: Abducts Kannada actor Rajkumar and four others. One of the hostages, Nagappa, escapes. Sets Rajkumar and others free after allegedly getting crores of rupees as ransom.

August 2002: Abducts former Karnataka minister H. Nagappa, who is later found dead.

Oct. 18, 2004: The brigand killed by the STF, Tamil Nadu.

MOOD: