Gopal establishes contact with Veerappan

METTUR, July 21: Gopal, the TN Government’s emissary to notorious forest outlaw Veerappan, who is holding nine Karnataka government personnel hostage, has established contact with the brigand. The editor of `Nakeeran’ a Tamil magazine which has interviewed the elusive sandalwood smuggler on pervious occasions, entered the bandit’s lair through the Kovilur forest and established contact with him on Sunday. The four-member team is expected to come out of the thick forests, either with the hostages or with fresh word from Veerappan. Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has conceded, subject to Supreme Court approval, the brigand’s demand that all cases registered against him in the State be transferred to TN. Veerappan, who has been dodging a police dragnet for the last 10 years, and is responsible for a series of heinous murders and other crimes, is demanding that he be allowed to surrender before the President of India, and that his life be guaranteed, apart from other things.