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The STF was just five kilometres away

Sadananda R in Chamarajanagar

When Veerappan abducted former Karnataka minister H Nagappa on Sunday from his farmhouse in Kamagere village, the Special Task Force formed to nab the forest brigand was just five kilometres away.

And while Veerappan and his men were busy commandeering a bus to take Nagappa to Dhibam, part of the Sathyamangalam forest in Tamil Nadu, the Chamarajnagar superintendent of police was just half a kilometre away.

The people of Hanur, who Nagappa has represented twice in the state assembly, want the police to take responsibility for failing to prevent the abduction.

S Srinivaslu, a special security officer of the state government, agreed there was a lapse on the part of the district police and the STF.

"When I reached the place [Kamagere village] around 3 am, six hours of the abduction, the STF were still in the process of launching combing operations," he said.

When the news of the abduction reached the Kamagere villagers, they informed the STF base camp at Gundal, the largest camp of the Karnataka STF.

Instead of launching immediate search operations, the STF officers manning the camp waited for orders from their superiors. When the orders finally came at 2 am, five hours had elapsed.

What has irked the people of Hanur is the 'inaction' of the Chamarajanagar SP. When the SP reached the spot where the forest brigand had commandeered a bus, the stranded passengers pointed out to the police officer the direction taken by Veerappan. The SP, according to the villagers, went in the opposite direction.

The villagers also alleged that Veerappan and his gang, travelling on the bus, vanished into the Sathyamangalam forest soon as they spotted a STF jeep.

The police, the villagers said, did not chase the brigand, instead radioing the base camp for help.

H Nagappa Abduction : Complete coverage

The Abduction of Dr Rajakumar
The Hunt for Veerappan

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