STF suspends hunt for Veerappan TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2002 11:02:20 PM ] KOLLEGAL/BANGALORE: Amid mounting pressure from various quarters, who fear threat to hostage H Nagappa's life, the Karnataka Special Task Force (STF) on Friday suspended its combing operations to track Veerappan. STF sources told The Times of India the directive came from the state government on Thursday night. "Since Friday morning we are not carrying out any operations and have asked the men inside the forest to return to their respective camps," they added. THE STORY SO FAR • August 25: Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan abducts former Karnataka minister H Nagappa. • August 26: Veerappan sends a cassette in which he says Nagappa will be killed if the government tries to rescue him. • August 27: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna meets Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to discuss the situation. They decide to ask the Centre for helicopters and sensors to track Veerappan. • August 28: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu special task forces intensify combing operations to nab Veerappan. Members of the bandit's gang are sighted in the Ramapura forest range. • Advocate Venugopal offers to act as mediator to negotiate Nagappa's release. • August 29: There are reports of Veerappan sending another cassette with demands for the release of former Karnataka minister. • Chief Minister S M Krishna, police deny receiving the second tape • Fearing threat to Nagappa's life, Karnataka government suspends STF operations to track Veerappan This was the demand of Veerappan in his first cassette of 54 second duration where he had threatened to kill Nagappa if combing operations were not stopped. There were reports of Veerappan sending the much-awaited second cassette expected to contain his demands. Both government and the police denied it. Apart from the government's efforts, the JD(U) leaders are also on the job as Nagappa is their partyman. JD(U) MLA P G R Sindhia is in touch with Suttur math seer Sri Shivarathri Desikendra, who in turn is tapping sources who can get in touch with Veerappan, sources said. Meanwhile, advocate Venugopal, who has offered his services to mediate with Veerappan, has sent his "own message" to Veerappan in an interview to All India Radio, Coimbatore station. "I have cited reasons to Veerappan of my offering to be an emissary and also reminded him of the number of people who have suffered on account of him," Venugopal said. Chief Minister S M Krishna, who called on Nagappa's family at Kamagere on Friday declining to say anything concrete on the issue, hinted of suspending the operations. "We will take necessary action required to get Nagappa back," he stated. Queried on the kind of action, Primary and Secondary Education Minister B K Chandrashekar said: "Here action means strategy and the government is working out a suitable strategy which will ensure Nagappa's release." Substantiating the statement, Krishna said: "Action necessarily does not mean only gun battle." Later addressing the gathering, Krishna said the government was serious in its efforts to get back Nagappa safely. "We will use all tactics adopted by the government in a similar situation two years ago when Rajkumar was kidnapped," he maintained. Notwithstanding the suspension of combing operations, three senior police officers - S T Ramesh (IGP), K Suresh Babu (IGP) and Gopal B Hosur (DCP) - were asked to report at the M M Hills base camp of STF. The officers left Bangalore following a message from DGP V V Bhaskar, who is personally supervising STF operations, dressed in commando style uniform and armed with binoculars and AK-47 rifles. Around 10 police officers from the city police and several others from CoD and KSRP have been drafted for the STF work. Gopal Hosur, who had served in the STF earlier had survived an attack on him by Veerappan from a close range 10 years ago. However, Hosur's colleagues, Harikrishna (SP) and others were shot dead. A bullet was stuck in Hosur's body, which was operated and removed. Related stories Satellites can't track the dacoit down Nedumaran ready to negotiate with Veerappan The brigand's area of operation The story so far Sandalwood smuggler's road to notoriety