Weather chills STF hunt for Veerappan

Weather chills STF hunt for Veerappan
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

ERODE, NOV 21: The chill climate and frequent showers in the Sathyamangalam forest area is expected to affect the operation of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Special Task Forces (STF) to nab Veerappan and other Tamil militants who are using the thick forest cover as their hideout for their nefarious activities.

According to informed sources, over 600 STF commandos from Tamil Nadu force have been told to go into the forest under the leadership of IG Balachandran, DIG Thamizhselvan, SPs Ashokkumardas, Periayya and Shailendrababu. The STF officers sent a batch of STF commandos to the forest on Tuesday.

But the problem is the chill weather in the forest is affecting their continuous movement. During previous occasions, the STF commandos went into the forest early in the morning and continued their search operation till afternoon. Then, they would return to their camps in the evening.

It is likely the STF commandos may have to camp in the interior of the forest and continue the operation without returning to the barracks unless and until the need arises. But adverse weather conditions are said to be affecting their morale.

For the time being, many expect that they would be asked to adopt the old strategy of going into the forest and returning by the evening to the barracks. If such a decision is taken, many feel that the operation will not succeed immediately. The reason for this conclusion is that the STF is starting its operation exactly after a week after Veerappan released Rajkumar. In the meantime, Veerappan and others could have moved several kilometres inside the forest covering Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states. Many feel that unless a large number of STF commandos consistently move into the interior, they will not be able to achieve their goal.

Meanwhile, it is said, IG Balachandran on Tuesday held discussions with the SPs and DIG on the operation. Later, he told newsmen that the combing operation had already started and expressed the hope that a good message would come soon. Similarly, SP Periayya said he was quite confident this time of nabbing the brigand.