Veerappan : the untold story

Investigative journalist Sunaad Raghuram's meticulously researched biographical account of Veerappan follows his career from small-time poacher to the most wanted man in India. By 1990, Veerappan's gang of sandalwood smugglers and ivory poachers had become such a menace in the forests of Karnataka that the state government constituted a Special Task Force to capture him. Veerappan then turned to an easier way of making money: kidnapping wealthy, influential men for ransom. The police were woefully inept at second-guessing his moves, and even when they had an opportunity to nab him, they were thwarted by lack of political will and rivalry between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka-Veerappan's area of operation. His accomplices and members of his family, including his wife, have been arrested, tortured and sometimes killed in encounters; rewards have been announced for any information that could lead to his capture; and almost all means of persuasion have been tried, but Veerappan continues to elude the law.

Raghuram examines Veerappan's relationship with his wife, brothers and members of his gang, and describes in detail the method and madness of the murders and kidnappings Veerappan has been accused of over the years. Based on police records, media reports and interviews with almost all those who have ever had anything to do with Veerappan, Veerappan: The Untold Story is a riveting portrait of the man who is alternately hailed as messiah and murderer.

Veerappan: The Untold Story is a comprehensive and well researched book... [It] is an extremely readable and convincing account of Veerappan...' -India Today

'It is reportage, history, a sharp criticism subtly gelled into an engrossing account.' -The Statesman