Author: Sunad Raghuram
Publisher: Penguin/Viking
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 312
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0670911593
Description
This book is a biographical account of the fugitive who has single-handedly held the Indian state to ransom for more than a decade. Meticulously researched, this is a riveting, first-ever portrait of the man who is alternately hailed as a messiah and a murderer.
Veerapan. Poacher, smuggler, killer of elephants and men. A man whose name strikes terror in the hearts of the villagers who have been mute witnesses to his crimes. An outlaw whose freedom makes a mockery of the state and the police force that has been trying unsuccessfully to bring him to justice. And a semi-literate who, despite attempts to portray himself as a leader of the masses, has only driven himself further into the fringes by his absurd demands and recent involvement with extremist organizations.
Veerappan: The Untold Story is a biographical account of the fugitive who has single-handedly held the Indian state to ransom for more than a decade. Born in a small village in Karnataka, Veerappan started his life of crime under the tutelage of Sevi Gounder, a local don with interests in sandalwood smuggling and ivory poaching. After Sevi Gounder retired from his lucrative profession, Veerappan became the unquestioned leader of the gang. In April 1990, the Karnataka government finally woke up to the danger posed by his activities, and a Special Task Force was constituted to stop him.
Finding the net tightening around him, Veerappan turned to an easier way of making money: kidnapping wealthy, influential men for ransom. Thus began the phase that culminated in the kidnapping of the Kannada superstar Rajkumar on 30 July 2000. Each time, the police was caught by surprise and even when an opportunity to nab him presented itself, lack of political will and rivalry between the two states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka – Veerappan’s area of operation – ensured that little progress was made. His accomplices and members of his family, including his wife, have been arrested, tortured and sometimes killed in encounters; rewards have been announced for any information that could led to his capture; and almost all means of persuasion have been tried, but Veerappan continues to elude the law.
Investigative journalist Sunaad Raghuram’s meticulously researched account of Veerappan follows his career from small-time poacher to the most wanted man in India. He examines his relationship with his wife, his brothers, and members of his gang, and describes in detail the method and madness of the murders and kidnappings Veerappan has been accused of over the years. Based on police records, media reports and interviews with almost all those who have ever had anything to do with Veerappan, this is a riveting, first-ever portrait of the man who is alternately hailed as a messiah and a murderer.
Contents
Acknowledgement
Introduction
Prologue
PART I
History of Mayhem
Ambush at Hogenekal
Messiah of Gopinatham
The Grand Plan
The Death of Gurunathan
PART II
In Cold Blood
Veerappan’s Revenge
Explosion at Sorakaimadu
Change of Command
The STF Strikes Back
Face to Face
PART III
Muthulakshmi
PART IV
The Negotiator
Mistaken Identity
PART V
Prize Catch
Shock and Panic
Veerappan’s Dictat
Legal Tangle
Long Suspense
The Home Coming
Epilogue