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Veerappan drops conditions, willing to surrender

Forest brigand Veerappan, who had sent three of his associates to surrender before Madras Police Commissioner P Kalimuthu yesterday, has offered to surrender without insisting on his earlier preconditions -- grant of amnesty and financial compensation.

According to sources, a video cassette, which the fugitive sent to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi through the three outlaws, contains his offer to surrender. The cassette was handed over to Karunanidhi, sources at the Tamil magazine Netrikan said today.

Netrikan editor A S Mani arranged the surrender of the three youths. He and Professor Krishnasamy, a lawyer, brought the outlaws to the city and handed them over to Kalimuthu.

Veerappan, who has ruled the jungles for over a decade and was responsible for the killing of over 100 people, has offered to surrender before Mani and Prof Krishnasamy, but he has not insisted on amnesty for himself and his associates, the sources said.

The only condition he laid down this time is that the cases pending against him and his gang be tried only in courts in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments had earlier acceded to this demand.

Mani met Karunanidhi today.

The chief minister is believed to have sent a message to Veerappan, to be broadcast through the Coimbatore station of All India Radio. Acknowledging the receipt of the cassette, he is said to have offered to consider the proposal in consultation with the Karnataka government, the source said.

UNI

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