Was Veerappan betrayed by his kin? That is the story doing the rounds at Singapuram near Mettur — the village of the brigand’s father-in-law, Poosari. Veerappan apparently was lured into the STF net after dinner at the house of his brother-in-law, Rajendran’s wife.Poosari and Rajendran are in STF custody which, villagers say, made it easier for the police to bring them around. Villagers of Karungalur (situated between Mettur and Palar) say they saw an ambulance similar to the one used in the STF encounter passing Karungalur on Monday evening at 6.30 pm and heading towards nearby Govindapadi.The vehicle returned after two hours, its revolving light on, but without the siren. Villagers say Veerappan must have been invited to Rajendran’s house for dinner and that his wife Muthulakshmi knew of the meeting. Only a few days ago, he had sent his relatives an audio cassette informing them of his health. After dinner, Veerappan must have been tricked into boarding the van by his relatives on the pretext of taking him to hospital, villagers said. Instead, it drove into the STF ambush near Dharmapuri.News of Veerappan’s illness was also apparently leaked to the STF by his relatives. On September 1, Veerappan had come to Gopinatham, his native village, for the annual temple festival in the cover of darkness. He met Marakkal, his mother’s sister, told her of his eye ailment and gave her some money. Marakkal, who is in STF custody, is said to have spilled the beans.A field camp of the Tamil Nadu STF, put up near Poosari’s house three years ago, has been burnt down. Villagers say the STF men left after celebrations on Tuesday morning after the encounter with Veerappan. But for bits of charred fireworks, nothing remains of the STF camp. On the eastern side is Singapuram where Poosari and Rajendran have their lands and a hut where they used to stay during farming seasons.
