BANGALORE, May 27: Karnataka Home Minister M Roshan Baig on Wednesday dismissed as "mere drama" the latest round of hostage-taking by forest brigand Veerappan and said this did not in any way alter the state government's resolve to capture him "dead or alive".He confirmed reports that Veerappan had taken three men hostage on Tuesday after they accompanied Netrikan editor Mani into the Dambam forest in Tamil Nadu to persuade him to surrender.
The three men -- Law College Professor Krishnaswamy, Payumpuli and Chandran -- were detained while Mani was sent back with a videotape showing Veerappan demanding the release of one Krishnamurthy, an alleged LTTE supporter, from police custody. The brigand also demanded Rs 8 lakh in cash for the release of the hostages.
Roshan Baig said he had "no faith" in the likelihood of Veerappan's surrender, adding the state would "now go all out" to capture him. The minister who visited some of the areas of operation under the Special Task Force (STF) about a fortnight ago,said STF officials were confident of nabbing Veerappan. He said the Government would consider invoking the National Security Act (NSA) to arrest those who were found "frequently visiting" Veerappan without government approval.
Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel would stay in constant touch with his Tamil Nadu counterpart on the hostage issue, the minister added.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
