Verappan demands Rs 50 cr, cop`s head

Report:Seethalakshmi S.

Forest brigand Veerappan is understood to have demanded a ransom of Rs 50 crore to release Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar whom he is holding captive. In a cassette sent to the Tamil Nadu government, Veerappan has also demanded the head of senior Karnataka police officer Shankar Bidri. As chief of the Special Task Force (STF), Bidri had eliminated most of Veerappan's gang members.

Veerappan holds Bidri responsible for the death of his brother Arjunan in police custody. The brigand also accuses the police officer of committing serious human rights violations.
Veerappan is known to collect the heads of enemies as trophies. Some years ago, he had beheaded a forest officer Srinivas, and taken his head away. The smuggler has also demanded that the Cauvery water dispute be resolved in favour of Tamil Nadu. He has also expressed ire over the attack on Tamils during the Cauvery riots in Bangalore when S. Bangarappa was the Chief Minister. The Karnataka government which is keeping the contents of the cassette a secret, went into a huddle to chalk out the next course of action. Chief Minister S.M. Krishna has called an all-party meeting to discuss the issue.