Veerappan soon became independent and formed his own gang of outlaws. He started killing elephants for their tusks and smuggling sandalwood from the protected forests. He also killed anyone who opposed or challenged him, including police officers, forest officials and informers. He was first arrested in 1972, but escaped from custody. He then went on to commit more crimes and evade capture for the next 32 years.
Kidnapping and Murder of Prominent People
Veerappan gained national and international attention when he kidnapped and murdered some prominent people. In 1987, he kidnapped and killed Chidambaram, a forest officer from Tamil Nadu. In 1991, he killed Srinivas, a senior IFS officer from Karnataka. In 1997, he kidnapped Nagappa, a former minister from Karnataka, who died in captivity. In 2000, he kidnapped Rajkumar, a famous Kannada actor, who was released after 108 days. In 2002, he kidnapped H. Nagappa again, who was found dead after 106 days.
Veerappan demanded huge ransoms for his hostages, which he used to buy more weapons and ammunition. He also demanded the release of some of his associates who were in jail. He used the dense forest as his hideout and moved frequently to avoid detection. He had a network of informers and sympathizers who helped him with food, shelter and information. He also enjoyed support from some political parties and groups who advocated for his clemency.
Operation Cocoon and Death
The governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka spent over 100 crore to capture Veerappan. They deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel to comb the forest area. They also used helicopters, sniffer dogs, satellite phones and informers to track him down. However, Veerappan managed to escape every time by using his guerilla tactics and knowledge of the terrain.
In 2004, the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF) launched Operation Cocoon to trap Veerappan. They infiltrated his gang with an undercover agent named Koose Muniswamy, who posed as a sympathizer and offered to arrange a meeting with a politician who could help Veerappan with his demands. Veerappan agreed to meet him at Papparapatti, a village in Tamil Nadu.
On October 18, 2004, Veerappan and four of his associates arrived at Papparapatti in an ambulance driven by Muniswamy. As they reached a check post manned by the STF personnel, Muniswamy signaled them to open fire. A fierce gun battle ensued, in which Veerappan and his associates were killed. The STF recovered several weapons, explosives and ivory from the ambulance.
Legacy
Veerappan was one of the most wanted criminals in India's history. He was responsible for killing about 184 people, including 97 police officers and forest officials. He also poached over 2000 elephants and smuggled ivory worth US$2.6 million (16 crore) and sandalwood worth US$22 million (143 crore). He challenged the authority of the state and defied the law for over three decades.
Veerappan was also a controversial figure who evoked mixed reactions from the public. Some people admired him for his courage, charisma and survival skills. Some people sympathized with him for his plight and grievances. Some people feared him for his brutality and violence. Some people hated him for his crimes and atrocities.
Veerappan's life and death have inspired several books, documentaries and films in various languages. Some of the notable ones are: - Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand a 2017 book by K. Vijay Kumar, the former chief of the STF who led Operation Cocoon. - Veerappan: Death of a Bandit a 2012 documentary by Ramachandra Guha and Aman Sethi, based on interviews with Veerappan's associates, victims and officials. - Vana Yuddham a 2013 Tamil film, directed by A.M.R. Ramesh, starring Kishore as Veerappan and Arjun as Vijay Kumar. The film was also dubbed in Telugu as Veerappan and in Malayalam as Attahasa. - Killing Veerappan a 2016 Kannada film, directed by Ram Gopal Varma, starring Shivarajkumar as Vijay Kumar and Sandeep Bharadwaj as Veerappan.
References:
[Wikipedia]
[YouTube]
[Wikipedia]
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