|
A STATUS REPORT
ON THE TASK FORCE CONSTITUTED
TO NAB THE NOTORIOUS KILLER VEERAPPAN
AND HIS ASSOCIATES
 3.
EXPLOSIVES: The gang is known to be in the possession of a
sizeable quantity of explosives borrowed from granite quarries in the
operational area which are presently hidden buried in the forest. It
would be used when they want to plan a blast or to lay mines around
his semi permanent camps while keeping the abducted hostages. The gang
is also known to be in the possession of a few country made
pipe-grenades, which would be used on the attacking police parties.
Recently inducted TNLF personnel are known to be the adept in use of
explosives.
4.
COMMUNICATION: Veerappan has an excellent communication
system using traditional sources. Besides his active sympathisers and
supporters whom he contacts in an unscheduled manner, he uses the
cattle graziers of the Pattis and Doddis who are available in plenty
in almost all the seasons, the poachers, timber smugglers and the MFP
(Minor Forest Produce) collectors (primarily tribals). The gang sends
one of its members to talk to these people and gather as much
information as possible about the movement of STF and police
informants. They always administer threats of severe consequences
quoting the previously known instances of massacres lest anyone inform
the police. The gang also misleads them by giving deliberate clues of
their movement and proposed plans, whereas they do the opposite.
The identity of his
supporters and food suppliers is a zealously guarded secret not much
known to police. However, most of his supporters are poachers, timber
smugglers, MFP collectors and villagers residing in the fringes of
forests specially from the solitary farmhouses. Occasionally Veerappan
is known to have been using the solitary farmhouses in the foot-hills
of Tamilnadu from Mettupalyam to Mettur for communicating with his
sympathisers, like R.R. Gopal of Nakkheeran Tamil Magazine and others
over telephone. Recently he has also acquired a Pager, but it was
abandoned, as the number was known to police. The possibilities of his
acquiring a new Pager or a Cell-phone in a pseudo name cannot be ruled
out. Such a communication aid would give a boost to their operational
ability, as clear communication is possible from the hills to his
sympathisers in the plains.
R.R. Gopal and
Shivasubramanyan of Nakkheeran Tamil Magazine, Netrikan Mani and other
journalists have been meeting Veerappan in the past by going to an
appointed place from where they were further guided to various
destinations by his conduits who have the limited information of
directing them to certain places. At all these points, his independent
sources would watch for police informants and hence tracking them down
is extremely difficult. These journalists are also having secret
contact numbers and hence monitoring of their telephones would also be
of not much consequence.
 5.
SUPPLIES: The size of the gang in the recent past has been
deliberately confined to less than 10 by Veerappan, to avoid
expenditure on mammoth supplies and for the fear of exposure. Ration,
clothing and other expendable items are procured through Veerappan’s
known suppliers, whom he changes frequently and also through poachers,
timber smugglers, sandalwood extractors and MFP collectors by coercing
them in doing so. Often he catches hold of such people in the forest,
keep a few as hostages, and sends the rest to buy commodities. He
often directs them to dump the commodities at an appointed place, and
sends unimportant members of his group to collect the same, zealously
avoiding his exposure to possible police shadowing or raid. Sometimes,
the ration commodities are made to be eaten by the suppliers to check
for possible poisoning. Veerappan is not known to be paying much for
the services of the suppliers, except paying the prevailing daily
wages in the area.
The unknown and less
known members of the gang are often sent out of the forest for
establishing contact with the desired people, and rarely for procuring
commodities. Andiyur, Gopichettipalyam, Sathyamangalam, Bhavani,
Bandipur, Masanagudi are few of the exit and entry places for such
people.
As regards supply of
important items like uniforms, binoculars, tape recorders, cassettes,
pagers etc. he would rely upon his trustworthy sources like Nakkheeran
Gopal, Shivasubramanyam and others.
|
