Bandit Veerappan Shot Dead

Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan shot dead at Papparapatti village in Dharmapuri district

The Notorious Sandalwood Smuggler Veerappan, allegedly responsible for over 120 murders and who had been eluding the law for nearly two decades, was shot dead shortly before midnight at Papparapatti village in Dharmapuri district.

Three of his associates were also killed after heavy fighting with men of the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force in the thick forests between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. They were identified as Sethukuli Govindan, Chandragowda and Govindan.

The firefight, which began around 10 pm, took place near Dharmapuri in northern Tamil Nadu. Their bodies have been brought to the Dharmapuri Government Hospital. It was an intelligence report to the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force that four persons, including elusive forest brigand Veerappan, were moving in an ambulance towards a hospital, that led to the killings of Verrappan and three of his associates last night.

Acting on the tip off, the STF, headed by ADGP Vijay Kumar and Superintendent of Police, Senthumari Kannan, rushed in three vehicles and spotted the ambulance at Padi, about eight kms from Dharmapuri at around 10.30 pm.

The four were asked to surrender through a mike. However, one of the gang members started firing towards the STF, which retaliated. In the encounter, that lasted about 20 minutes, Veerappan was killed on the spot, STF sources said today.