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Veerappan's last journey - Part 5
 In this the last part of STF chief ADGP Vijaykumar's exclusive interview to Chennaionline on 'Operation Veerappan', he talks about the bandit's last journey. On the announcement of rewards/promotions. And Veerappan's wealth.
"Veerappan trusted the mole and they made preparations to leave for Trichy by the ambulance. What surprised the police was that Veerappan decided to move out on the 18th itself. This info reached the STF through the moles that night at the Adhiyamaankottai TB. Ambush teams were asked to be in place, covering at least five routes which Veerappan could take. However, Veerappan took the route via Padi, which he had preferred, according to the mole. The Karnataka team was also on full alert on their side of the border and it was a joint effort to put pressure on Veerappan and seal off all escape routes. All this was done with total coordination, yet without Veerappan having an inkling. He walked right into the trap. I was part of the team that waited at the Padi point."
Within 10 minutes of reaching there and taking positions, on either side of the road, the ambulance carrying Veerappan, Sethukuli Govindan,
Chandre gowda and Sethumani came down the road. (The three associates of Veerappan were to stay in three safe houses near Trichy while he underwent the eye treatment; they would re-group after the operation and then proceed for the negotiations on the arms deal.)
When the ambulance reached a particular point, Saravanan, the driver, stopped the vehicle, switched on the special lights fixed in the rear portion of the vehicle to disorient the gang, opened the door of the vehicle and came out. Simultaneously, Vellithurai too got out of the vehicle from the front. "An announcement from the police was on within a fraction of a second that the gang was surrounded by the police, and that they should surrender. Even as police quickly pulled Saravanan and Vellithurai to safety, a second warning by way of the announcement came - more terse and brief this time. This was met with scorn as Veerappan and his gang began firing, a second time, towards the police party. Seconds later, police retaliated, firing one quick burst at the vehicle.
"There was a gap. There was then a second round of firing from the police teams and some retaliatory fire as well. Firing from the vehicle had slowed down and was only occasional now. This was followed by another round from the police, firing into the air, in circles, to put fear into any survivor among the bandits. When this round ended, there was no firing at all from the vehicle. Police swooped down on the vehicle but not before throwing a grenade near the vehicle, to use the cover of smoke.
 "There were some muted cries and gasps as the police opened the doors of the vehicle. Veerappan and his gang were pulled out. The police could identify Veerappan, and the three others. Another vehicle of the police came to the spot and the bodies were moved to this vehicle, which carried them to the government hospital in Dharmapuri. On arrival, the doctors pronounced them dead. If at all any of them was barely alive from the gunshot wounds, they must have died shortly thereafter, on the way to the hospital."
On the steps taken by the police team at the ambush spot at Padi, Vijaykumar said, "We had taken several precautions to make sure they didn't escape. The teams had search lights (used by hunters) with them, which they used to focus on the vehicle before firing at the vehicle. A team was behind the sand bags. Another behind the steps. A third was behind the trees, to chase the vehicle if it could not be stopped and the inmates apprehended. Each team consisted of six men."
"The entire operation at Padi lasted only a few minutes. But it had taken years, at least
months of planning, infiltration and intelligence work." Full credit should go to Senthamarai Kannan and his team, their meticulous planning and execution, said
Vijaykumar.
Surrender?
On the criticism of some persons that efforts should have been made to get Veerappan to surrender, Vijaykumar said the bandit never wanted to surrender to the police. "Even when a few years earlier he made an offer to surrender, through some video cassettes, his demands were such that it appeared that the government would have to surrender to him, and not the other way round. The demands were such that it would be impossible for any government to concede. There was no way we could have got him to surrender. The bandits had fired at the police teams, ignoring the police appeal for surrender. Veerappan never believed in surrender."
Promotions
 Asked about the Tamil Nadu goverment's recommendation to the Centre to promote several STF officers, including him (Vijaykumar was to be promoted as DGP) and the silence from the Centre on the issue, Vijaykumar said the men had carried out the operations against Veerappan for years, not for the sake of rewards or awards. "We are very thankful to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for announcing a number of schemes for the STF personnel after the success of the operation. The STF is grateful to the CM for her announcements and rewards."
The STF was not disappointed over the Centre's response as the men did not seek promotions at all at any stage in their career.
Padmashree
On the CM's announcement that he (Vijaykumar) had been recommended by her for the Padmashree Award but the Centre did not consider it, Vijaykumar said the very fact that the state government had recommended his name for the award was itself a big honour for the STF. That alone was enough for the STF, he added.
"The Veerappan gang has been wiped out now. Nothing remains of it. We are sure of that. The STF is still present but not in that big a size, to make sure there are no untoward happenings."
There are only a few minor, petty thefts, an odd case of deer poaching. Otherwise, life is back to normal in these parts.
 "The forests are clean again. And the scourge has been eliminated. Our life-time ambition was achieved, and we helped restore the pride of Tamil Nadu, proving that it was an effective and highly skilled force, to the entire world. The reputation of the Tamil Nadu police was salvaged and I was happy to be a part of that process. We were not really concerned about promotions and rewards but about restoring the image of the Tamil Nadu police and in eliminating a menace from our society."
The STF is happy that cutting across party lines, its work in eliminating Veerappan was appreciated.
"We don't believe the extremists who supported Veerappan are there in the Dharmapuri forests now. Their leaders are in jail. A few of them who are outside had moved out of Dharmapuri and pose no danger here any more. We have broken the back of the dacoit gang and the forests are free, the animal population is free too."
About Veerappan's wealth, that he had amassed a lot of money through abductions and kidnappings apart from the revenue from the forest wealth, poaching elephants and so on in the early part of his career, Vijaykumar said the STF managed to recover some money from Veerappan's relatives, from his brother, sister, sister-in-law and so on.
"There was one person who is said to have taken a few lakhs from Veerappan, promising to bring arms but he vanished, cheating the gangster. One must presume that Veerappan had stashed his money (wealth) in the forests, probably in some caves, or in pits dug up to conceal the money, (must be several crores of rupees) but like Mckenna's Gold, it may never be found now."
The money has gone into the soil - just like Veerappan himself.
(Concluded)
R Rangaraj
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