Veerappan - Chasing the Brigand

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No other bandit in recent times has captured the public's imagination as much as KOOSE MUNISWAMY VEERAPPAN. Be it his trademark moustache, stories of his daring escapades or his ruthless massacre of officers, Veerappan continues to fascinate, even thirteen years after his death. Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand is a lucid and incisive account of the rise and fall of India's most dreaded forest brigand. Chronicled by K. Vijay Kumar, IPS, the man who spearheaded the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF) that planned and executed the dreaded bandit's encounter, the book relives the various incidents that shaped Veerappan's life-from his birth in Gopinatham in 1952 to his death in 2004 in a shootout in Padi. It traces his dramatic rise from a small-time poacher and sandalwood smuggler to a brutal fugitive who held three states to ransom for two decades. The ruthless killings and high-profile kidnappings masterminded by Veerappan, including the 108-day ordeal involving Kannada cinema superstar, Dr Rajkumar, are described in fascinating detail. Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand is the most authentic account of the life and times of the dreaded outlaw.

K. VIJAY KUMAR is a former in the Indian Police Service (IPS). He was the Chief of the Special Task Force (STF) that was behind the encounter of the dreaded bandit Veerappan during Operation Cocoon in 2004. Mr. Kumar, a 1975-batch IPS officer from the Tamil Nadu Cadre, headed the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad in 2008 and served as the director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) form 2010 to 2012. He is currently Senior Security Adviser in the Home Ministry.

Finding and bringing Veerappan to justice was an onerous task that took many years and claimed several lives in the process. It was a combination of experience, stratagem, meticulous planning and, to an extent, luck that finally helped us succeed.

Many brave policemen, officers and courageous civilians took enormous risks and made huge personal sacrifices in an attempt to bring Veerappan to justice. I am entirely to blame for this book's bias towards the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF). Further, space constraints have led to the omission of and, at times, mere reference to several heroic episodes. But that should in no way detract from their contribution.

I have made all efforts to present the events to the best of my knowledge and as truthfully as possible. But several episodes described in this book are based on secondary reports gained from a multiplicity of sources. As such, I often had to deal with wildly contradictory versions of the same event.

Wherever I encountered differing versions of the same event, I tried to reconcile them and provide the most logical, coherent and accurate account. But it is difficult to state with certainty that all events took place exactly the way they have been described in this book.

As in all such operations, we witnessed courage and nobility as well as the seamier side of individuals and organizations. Wherever I have pointed out the latter, my intent was not to defame anyone, but to recreate the events as truthfully as possible.

In some cases, I have deliberately blurred sequences, obscured details and scrambled timelines in order to preserve operational secrecy and protect the identities of people who were involved in sensitive missions. Some of them continue to put their lives on the line for the nation even today.

To sum up the experience, I will quote my colleague K.N. Mirji, 'It's like a football team. All eleven play, but one scores the goal.