New Delhi, Jan 02: With Verappan continuing to be elusive, the Centre today agreed to step in and offered whatever needed in a fortnight to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to nab the forest brigand and these could include despatch of the elite national security guards (NSG).
"We discussed the joint strategy, plan of action and the level of cooperation. The Centre has assured to provide whatever needed within 15 days", Tamil Nadu STF chief R Natarajan told reporters after a nearly two-hour long coordination committee meeting at the north block here. Chaired by special secretary (home) Ashok Bhandari, the meeting was attended, among others, by senior police officials from both states, representative officials from army and air force and Karnataka STF chief Jyoti Prakash Mirji.
The meeting came a day after Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna, who is under pressure following the death of JD(U) leader H Nagappa, declared that their new year resolve was "to end the menace of the bandit" who carries a reward of Rs five crore on his head. Though the STF chiefs refused to divulge what sort of assistance they sought from the Centre, sources said they demanded the national security guard (NSG) forces, trained in carrying out operations in thick forests and air force choppers to keep track of the bandit, whose latest hostage Nagappa was killed in mysterious circumstances.