MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: The Additional Director-General of Police, K. Vijay Kumar, who heads the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force, is cheered by colleagues in Dharmapuri on Tuesday after the forest brigand Veerappan and three of his aides were shot dead in an operation the previous night.

The forest brigand Veerappan and three of his key associates, who were killed in an encounter on Monday night, were lured out of their hideout by Special Task Force personnel who had finally managed to infiltrate the gang. An STF man, who had gained their confidence, drove Veerappan and his gang straight into the trap set up at Paparapatti village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district.

Tamil Nadu STF chief, Additional Director General of Police, K. Vijay Kumar, said `Operation Cocoon’ was the result of 10 months of planning and three weeks of meticulous preparation. But the operation lasted only 45 minutes from the time the gang got into the ambulance, which was actually an STF vehicle. Veerappan may have been on his way to get treatment for an eye ailment (cataract).

A 35-member team lay in wait at Paparapatti village. Some of the securitymen were hidden in a reinforced tanker lorry parked by the road; others had taken position atop a nearby school.

Mr. Vijay Kumar said that when challenged the gang initially did not respond. A second warning to surrender was greeted with gunfire. The STF retaliated with stun grenades and gunfire. Before this the driver of the ambulance, an STF operative, made good his escape as planned.

Veerappan died on the spot. His lieutenant, Sethukuzhi Govindan, Chandre Gowde, and the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) extremist, Sethumani, who had joined the gang during recent abduction episodes, died on way to hospital.

The STF seized a non-ballistic 12 bore Remington pump action gun, which can spray bullets effectively for bush fighting, two AK-47s, a self-loading rifle (7.62) and two hand grenades. About Rs. 3.5 lakhs was also recovered.

The operation was the result of intelligence inputs the STF had got over a period, Mr. Vijay Kumar said. It had managed to plant four men in the Veerappan gang. They had settled in the villages on the fringes of the forest and won the confidence of the gang. Other STF men posed as taxi drivers, bus conductors, hawkers and masons and provided information crucial to the operation.

Intelligence inputs indicated that the brigand, who had an eye ailment, was trying to establish contact with persons in South Arcot and Perambalur districts, possibly for medical assistance and to add to his manpower.

These two districts form a belt of Tamil extremism. There were reports suggesting that the brigand was in a mood to leave the jungles to escape from the police net, an official added.

Destination unknown

However, Mr. Vijay Kumar said it was unclear where the brigand was heading. Further investigation by the STF and the police may throw light on any accomplices, facilitators or abettors.

Mr. Vijay Kumar said, "the absence of red-tapism and miscommunication" proved to be the advantage of the STF. "One aim, one goal and one mission of both the STFs led to the accomplishment of the task," Mr. Vijay Kumar said.

After monitoring the movement of the brigand, the entire manpower was deployed in the area, thus "bringing the elusive fugitive into a tightly knit police net," he said.

Asked whether there would be any DNA tests to confirm the identity of the bodies, Mr. Vijay Kumar said the intelligence sleuths had confirmed the identity. The gang was, unusually, not in camouflage clothing; Veerappan was in white, with the moustache trimmed to deceive the police, he said.

Mr. Vijay Kumar’s Karnataka counterpart, the IGP (STF), Jyoti Prakash Mirji; the IG (West Zone-Tamil Nadu), A. Subramanian and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Salem Range, N. Tamizh Selvan, were present at the media event.

The operation was led by the ADGP himself, assisted by the Superintendents of Police, N.K. Senthamaraikannan (who masterminded the intelligence trap), K. Shanmugavelu and P. Chinnasamy.

The core team consisted of the Deputy Superintendents of Police, N. Thirunavukkarasu, and Hussain. Inspectors N. Rajarajan and Mohan Nawaz led the ambush team.

Praise for the boys

Mr. Vijay Kumar said that he "salutes and worships the valour and sincerity shown by the boys in accomplishing the mission." The brigand was both physically and psychologically down, facing squabbles within the four-member group, he said.

Despite the presence of reinforcements, including the standby paramilitary forces from the neighbouring districts, the police had a tough time managing the crowd here.

Onlookers swamped the General Hospital since morning to take a look at the bodies.

3 bullet wounds

UNI reports:

The post-mortem examination conducted on Veerappan’s body today revealed that he had suffered three bullet injuries. A confidential medical report said he had sustained bullet injuries on his forehead, chest and hip. One bullet was taken out during the post-mortem examination.

Sethukuzhi Govindan had 15 bullet injuries. Sethumani had six bullet injuries and Chandre Gowde had six bullet injuries.

Courtesy: The Hindu