Veerappan

199838.6 Perhaps the best sandalwood smuggler in the history of mankind, it's estimated that Veerappan killed 120 people, mostly policemen and forestry officials. An entire industry developed around the attempt to capture the fugitive smuggler, who died with a five million rupee bounty on his head. But mostly he was known for the brazen kidnapping of Rajakumar, India's foremost moviestar. And for his magnificent kattabomman moustache.

Timeline

18 Jan 1952 Kuse Muniswamy Veerappan Gounder born, Gopinatham Village, Karnataka, India.
? Younger brother, Arjunan, born.
c. 1969 Commits first murder at age 17.
1972 Arrested for the first time.
1973 Muthulakshmi born, village of Neruppur (near Hogenekal.)
1986 Arrested, released after he pays $2000 bribe.
c. 1991 Marries shepherdess Muthulakshmi. What she sees in him? "His moustache and notoriety."
Nov 1991 Beheads Deputy Conservator of Forests Srinivas after offering to surrender.
c. 1992 First daughter, Vidhyarani, born.
1992 Presumably, the last time Veerappan sees his wife Muthulakshmi (in hiding ever since.)
1992 Second daugther, Prabha (alias Vijayalakshmi) born, Kaveripuram, near Mettur.
Feb 1992 Underling, Gurunathan, killed by task force.
14 Aug 1992 Kills five Karnataka police, including Superintendent of Police Harikrishna, near Kollegal. Two months later, eight of Veerappan's men are killed in a firefight, but he manages to elude capture.
13 Apr 1993 Special Task Force instituted by Karnataka government against Veerappan.
May 1993 Interview with a news magazine, Veerappan recounts cutting enemies to pieces and feeding them to fish in the Cauvery river. The Independent.
May 1993 Wife Muthulakshmi arrested.
Jul 1993 Strangles his newly born female infant, because it is the third female in a row.
Jan 1994 Underling, Kolandai, suicides.
Dec 1994 Brother, Arjunan, surrenders to police, along with associates Ayyadurai and Rangaswamy. Authorities claim Arjunan swallowed a cyanide capsule.
1995 Brother, Arjunan, dies while in task force custody. Rangaswamy also dies in custody.
1996 Records nine hours of videotape interview, later aired on Sun TV.
Jun 1996 Offers to surrender to the president of India, in exchange for amnesty.
13 Jul 1997 Kidnaps nine officials of the forestry service, holds them for 44 days.
Aug 1997 Offers to surrender, in exchange for two year sentence and 5 million rupees in compensation.
30 Jul 2000 Veerappan kidnaps India's top movie star, Rajkumar.
14 Nov 2000 Rajkumar released to the custody of P. Nedumaran, in Muzhiyanur.
16 Nov 2000 Newly ransomed Rajkumar arrives in Bangalore.
8 Mar 2002 Wife applies for birth certificate for daughter Prabha, in a Mettur court.
Mar 2002 Wife Muthulakshmi arrested again, over the Rajkumar kidnapping.
25 Aug 2002 Kidnaps former regional minister H. Nagappa. The minster's body is not found until December.
18 Oct 2004 Veerappan is killed by Indian police during a shootout in Paparapatti, Tamil Nadu, India, about 75 miles southeast of Bangalore.


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