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'Pay up, or else...' says Veerappan

Veerappan has set the deadline in an audio cassette sent by him to R R Gopal, editor of the Tamil magazine Nakkeeran. The cassette was played by Gopal to newspersons in Madras yesterday evening.

Recalling the surrender of three of his associates in April last, Veerappan said he had demanded Rs 2.5 million from Mani for giving an interview in his forest hideout and allowing the three associates to surrender. He said Mani had stated that he could give only Rs 1 million.

Mani later paid only Rs 200,000 as the first instalment through Ramasamy, one of Veerappan's associates. When Ramasamy went to collect the second instalment from Mani, he was nabbed by the police, the brigand alleged.

It may be recalled that when Mani, along with two journalists -- Paayum Puli and Richard Mohan -- and advocate S Krishnaswamy, went to meet Veerappan in the forests again, the outlaw held the two journalists and the advocate as hostages and released Mani.

Veerappan said in the cassette that since Mani did not bring the money as promised by him when the latter came to the jungles two weeks ago along with the three persons, he had decided to keep the three as hostages and release Mani so that he could bring the money.

Veerappan said he had received a message from Mani on Sunday last. He would wait till today for payment of the balance amount of Rs 800,000, after which he would start executing the hostages, the brigand threatened.

Repeating his terms for surrender to the Tamil Nadu police, Veerappan said he wanted transfer of all the cases pending against him and his associates in Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government was not keen on this, he alleged.

Later speaking to newspersons, Gopal said he would hand over the cassette to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Stating that he felt sorry for the two journalists, Gopal said he was ready to go to the jungles again and meet Veerappan to secure the release of the hostages if the tamil nadu government asked him to do so.

Incidentally, Gopal had secured the release of nine Karnataka forest guards from Veerappan at the behest of the Tamil Nadu government.

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