India's most wanted bandit killed in jungle shootout
His death ended a two-decade hunt after he killed more than 100 people and kidnapped a movie star.
Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, a tall, wiry bandit in his 50s, sported a long twirling moustache and was usually clad in military camouflage. He was known as the "Jungle Cat" for his ability to move and disappear in the forests of south India that were his home for decades. Veerappan was also accused of killing thousands of elephants for their tusks and smuggling ivory and sandalwood worth millions of dollars.
"This was an extraordinary intelligence operation," K Vijay Kumar, head of a special police force formed to nab Veerappan, told a news conference in Dharmapuri district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where the shootout took place.
"This was indeed a difficult mission because he was a worthy foe. It was not very easy to get him," Kumar said. "This operation was coming at the end of a long, desperate wait."
He said intelligence agents and police informers had infiltrated villages in the area and worked as drivers, masons and hawkers for months to gather information about Veerappan and his men who were suspected to be hiding nearby.
Policemen in civilian clothes waited in camouflaged vehicles late on Monday following information that the group was planning to visit a hospital in an ambulance - driven by a policeman in disguise - to get Veerappan treated for an eye problem, he said.
The gang of four opened fire when stopped and asked to surrender, forcing police to retaliate, Kumar said, adding that the gun battle lasted for about 20 minutes.
Veerappan had a five million rupee (€870,000) bounty on his head - a high reward by Indian standards - and was believed to have had ties with Tamil militants that extended to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.
He hit world headlines in 2000 when he kidnapped ageing film star Rajkumar and held him hostage for 108 days.
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