What keeps the bandit going

BANGALORE, JULY 31: Veerappan's strength is his area of operation, which stretches over 6,000 sq km of thick forests across Karnataka, Ker...

BANGALORE, JULY 31: Veerappan’s strength is his area of operation, which stretches over 6,000 sq km of thick forests across Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, say officers who worked with the Karnataka Special Task Force set up to nab him.

“Veerappan and his associates were born and brought up in those forests. They can trek 30 to 40 km easily in the dense forests, making it tough for the police to follow them,” said an officer.

* “Secondly, most of these deciduous forests have thick undergrowth, which restricts visibility to a few metres. During an operation in 1992, when Veerappan kidnapped the son of a granite quarry owner, we had missed him by some metres. We did not realise that he had taken shelter under the thick secondary growth. We learnt about it only after the boy was released. He told us that he could see the police but Veerappan was holding the gun to his head,” the officer said.

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* Another advantage is the support of villagers in the forests. The police say it is very hard to find informers — either the villagers are sympathisers of Veerappan or are scared of him. Most of the police informants have been killed by him.

* Veerappan also outsmarts the police because of his communication network in the forest. While the police use wireless, Veerappan and his followers rely on the villagers, who gather information more efficiently.

Police say Veerappan’s weakness is his impulsiveness and fear. But this had turned to his advantage in most of the cases. A police officer recalls how Veerappan left his rifle and fled the scene during an encounter.

Police also say that Veerappan is a loner even when he is with his gang. He approaches everything with suspicion, including his food, they add.