Ex-armyman's daredevil plan to nab brigand Veerappan

The Indian Express

Sharp Detectives Private Limited

Tuesday, May 13 1997 Search

Ex-armyman's daredevil plan to nab brigand Veerappan EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NAGPUR,May 12: It may sound audaciously incredible that a man can lay claim to succeed in tracking and nabbing a brigand lord who has managed to elude the police force of two resourceful State governments Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for as long as five years. But that's what retired armyman Captain D K Giri has claimed, while talking to mediapersons here. The 48-year-old ex-armyman, Giri has sought governments' permission and assistance in nabbing or eliminating notorious smuggler Koose Munisamy Veerappan, hiding somewhere in the dense forest of Karnataka. The chances of getting government's permission to do so is rather slim at present. In Giri's own words the chances are no more than five per cent right now, despite his writing letters to the Prime Minister and several Chief Ministers. But he is hopeful some day the government would allow him to go ahead with his daredevil plan in the interest of the society and the nation. With Veerappan's haven spread over nearly 18,000 sq km in the Western Ghats of the two States, and almost 1,000 STF and BSF men desperately trying to track him, how can Giri succeed in locating the fugitive tusk and sandalwood smuggler? ``My tenure in the Army as a Captain has equipped me to deal effectively with jungle warfare. I am confident I can do the job effectively with government support,'' he claims, adding, ``It is downright shameful that a country of 95 crore people should be held to ransom by a gang of the dirty http://www.financialexpress.com/old/ie/daily/19970513/13350543.html[9/9/2014 3:38:17 PM]

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Ex-armyman's daredevil plan to nab brigand Veerappan

dozen.'' Talking about his credentials, Giri, originally a Punjabi, says he was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1972 in the Brigade of the brave Gurkhas, the 7/11 Gurkha Rifles. He did his Young Officers' course which consists of all the basic training including weapons, tactics and commandoes. During his five years tenure as an Army officer, he underwent vigorous training in the mountain warfare in Sonmarg, Kashmir, physical training in Pune, mine-laying and clearing training in Srinagar, counter insurgency and jungle warfare in Silchar, Assam. Giri was assessed the best in rifle shooting competition amongst officers, during the Annual Rifle Shooting Competition in 1973 at Dehra Dun. He also did the battalion support weapons course which consists of medium guns, motors and RCL in Mhow. After he retired from the Army, he started his own private security and detective business, Sharp Detectives Pvt Ltd at Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, and now has more than 10,000 men employed through his private security agency. The government's failure in nabbing the dreaded smuggler is costing it dear, said Giri. According to a rough estimate, more than Rs 150 crore has been spent in the last five years by the government in tracking Veerappan who carries an award of Rs 40 lakh on his head. Veerappan, who was initially a poacher in 1960s, switched over to smuggling sandalwood after the export of ivory products were banned. He is charged with smuggling sandalwood worth more than Rs 200 crore in the last 10 years.Veerappan took to unlawful means in 1978 and killed over 2,000 elephants and extracted 50 tonne of elephant tusks without being caught. With more than 119 killings, he has created a fear psychosis among villagers and the security forces. As many as 31 policemen, including an Superintendent of Police and six inspectors and 10 forest officials, as well as 51 civilians have been brutally murdered by him. Analysing the failure of the Special Task Force (STF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) in nabbing or eliminating Veerappan, Giri says the two forces are not fully equipped for jungle warfare. Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

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Ex-armyman's daredevil plan to nab brigand Veerappan

http://www.financialexpress.com/old/ie/daily/19970513/13350543.html[9/9/2014 3:38:17 PM]