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Cash reward cures villagers of Veerappan phobia

George Iype in Walayar

A cash reward of Rs 4 million to anyone who gives information about the dreaded brigand Veerappan has spurred tribals and villagers to look for the elusive outlaw in the forests of Walayar-Siruvani-Muthikulam forests of Kerala's Palakkad district.

But a week after hundreds of Special Task Force commandos from the Border Security Force and police personnel from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala rushed into the Kerala jungles to hunt for Veerappan, there is no trace of the forest fugitive.

The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have pasted hundreds of posters in the villages and small towns surrounding the forests, in Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, announcing a cash award of Rs 4 million.

The governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have jointly pledged in the posters that they will reward Rs 2 million each to anyone who provides any clues about Veerappan's movements and hide-outs.

Lured by the huge money that the governments have announced, local villagers and tribals around the Walayar forests surrounding Palakkad district have began to actively assist the forces. "We are checking all the villages and tribal huts to see if Veerappan's associates come there for food items," K Udayan, a farmer in Parapatti told rediff.com.

He said tribals in the area used to reveal last year that Veerappan and his gang used to pass through the forests. "With the help of tribals and Adivasis, we are also checking the caves nearby to see if Veerappan used to stay there," Udayan added.

With the huge amount of money on offer, the villagers who would earlier be terrified of Veerappan are now entering the forests in gangs of 10 to 20. They say since BSF commandos are all over the forests, they are no longer afflicted by the Veerappan phobia.

But the posters also warn the villagers that those who try to help the forest brigand will be arrested and punished. 'If anyone helps Veerappan or his associates with rice and any other food items, they will be punished under law. They will be arrested and prosecuted, while those who give clues about the gang's movement in the forests will be amply rewarded,' it says.

Those who come to know about Veerappan's movements have been asked to inform the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu STF offices on the following numbers: 04298-44323, 04298-445252, 04256-51443, 08225-6140.

Despite the lack of success, police officials stick to their claim that Veerappan and his gang are holed up in one of the dozens of caves deep in the jungles of Walayar and Parapatti Ooru on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border border.

It was in Parapatti Ooru, claims an Adivasi family, that Veerappan and his associates visited them and asked for some rice and cereals. The Adivasi family members -- Ayyappan and his wife Kamalam -- said Veerappan gave each family member Rs 500 when they gave the food items to him.

While Ayyappan subsequently informed the nearby police station about Veerappan's visit, a team of Tamil Nadu STF members claimed last week that they had had an encounter with the Veerappan gang in the Walayar forests.

STF DIG Harsha Vardhan, who has been camping in the Velliyankiri forests on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border since then, said the police have definite information that Veerappan and his gang members have not yet left the Walayar forests.

"It is a matter of time that we nab Veerappan and his men," the police officer said.

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