Veerappan
Veerappan | |
|---|---|
Veerappan in 2000 | |
| Born | Koose Munusamy Veerappan 18 January 1952 Gopinatham, Kollegalam Taluk, Undivided Coimbatore District (former Coimbatore District (Madras Presidency)), Madras State, India (modern-day Karnataka) |
| Died | 18 October 2004 (aged 52) Papparapatti, Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Cause of death | Ballistic trauma |
| Resting place | Moolakadu, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Reward amount | ₹52 crore (equivalent to ₹198 crore or US$23 million in 2023) |
Capture status | Deceased |
| Escaped | 1986 |
| Escape end | 2004 |
| Comments | ₹784 crore (equivalent to ₹30 billion or US$350 million in 2023) spent to capture |
| Details | |
Span of crimes | 1962–2002 |
| Country | India |
| States | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala |
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Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian poacher, smuggler, domestic terrorist and bandit who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwood smuggling and poaching of elephants in the scrub lands and forests in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. He was wanted for killing approximately 184 people, about half of whom were police officers and forest officials. He was also responsible for poaching approximately 500 of the 2000 elephants killed in the peninsular region where he was active and for smuggling ivory worth US$2.6 million (₹16 crore) and about 65 tons of sandalwood worth approximately US$22 million (₹143 crore).
The battle to capture Veerappan cost the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over ₹100 crore.