Veerappan's wife released from jail

Wife of slain forest brigand Veerappan on Tuesday stepped out a free woman from a jail in Bengaluru, and said she would write a book on alleged atrocities by the Special Task Force that was formed to hunt down her husband.

"I always believed in God and knew that I would get justice one day. I knew that I had not done anything wrong and was paying a price for the offences committed by my husband," Muthulakshmi told mediapersons after her release.

She said she would take up agriculture in Karnataka's Chamarajnagar district on a land in which Veerappan had a share but would settle in Mettur in Tamil Nadu. Muthulakshmi was on  Monday taken by a Karnataka state police team to Gobichettipalyam at Erode in Tamil Nadu where a court had issued a body warrant against her in a pending case.

Fast Track Court Judge Krishnan asked her to appear on May 19 in connection with the case relating to sharing of money alleged to have been paid as ransom for release of Kannada thespian Rajkumar, who was kidnapped by the brigand in 2000.

Kolathur police had registered a case against Muthulakshmi, stating that ransom was paid to her. Muthulakshmi was brought here late Monday night and released from Bangalore Jail, after fulfilling the required formalities.

She has already been acquitted in all five cases against her in Karnataka. Muthulakshmi was exonerated of charges in the last of the five cases by a Chamrajnagar court on April 20, relating to gunning down of six policemen by Veerappan in 1993. Veerappan, one of the country's most wanted criminals, was shot dead by the STF in 2004.

Muthulakshmi, who spent six years in the custody of STF, and later three years in jail in Karnataka, said she always knew justice would be meted out to her. Muthulakshmi said it was her foremost desire to pen a book on the 'atrocities' committed by STF.

The book, which will be written in Tamil, will be brought out in other regional languages including Kannada, she said. On whether she aspired to enter politics, she said, "Though I had some political ambitions earlier, I would not like comment on the subject for the time being".

"Though I have suffered, I wish a bright and happy future for my daughters. I want them to achieve something in life", Muthulakshmi said. Her two daughters are pursuing their education in Chennai, the first doing her BA, and second Engineering.