Born in Palani. Was the supreme leader of the Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops. Said to be close to LTTE chief V Prabhakaran. Trained by the LTTE for three years. Took part in the battle of Jaffna.
Shantimon Annamali profiles the five hardcore Tamil extremists whose release Veerappan has demanded.
Muthukumar, 33
Born in Palani. Was the supreme leader of the Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops. Said to be close to LTTE chief V Prabhakaran. Trained by the LTTE for three years. Took part in the battle of Jaffna.
He came in contact with the LTTE when he agreed to smuggle petrol for the guerrillas from Tamil Nadu. Arrested in 1997 while thus engaged from Manamelkudi in Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu.
Radio Venkatesan, 36
Hails from Kudanthai village, Thanjavur district. The son a retired tehsildar, he is a close friend of Maaran. Nicknamed 'Radio Venkatesan' because he always carried a transistor to listen to news in Tamil.
He masterminded the attack on the Vellithirupur police station in Erode and Kullanchavadi police station in Cuddalore in 1998. Arrested in 1998 for killing a policeman.
Sathyamoorthy, 29
Hails from Kamarajarpuram in Pudukottai. Was a political activist during his student days. Joined the Pattali Makkal Katchi. The party leadership wanted to promote him as its youth wing leader as he was a good orator and organiser. But his militant ideology did not find favour with the leaders. Left PMK and joined the TNRT.
Manikandan alias Gopal, 31 
Born in Kamarajapuram in Pudukottai. A business administration and law graduate, he was a member of the PMK's student wing before he joined the TNRT. Used to run a clinical laboratory in Pudukottai before he entered politics.
Politics led him to the idea of Tamil nationalism, which endeared him to Maaran and company. Was sent to the Vanni jungles for training in jungle warfare by the LTTE. Returned to organise a series of minor bomb blasts across Tamil Nadu. Arrested after the attack on the Vellithiruppoor police station.
Ponnivalavan, 35
Born in the Sethiyathope village of Cuddalore district. Joined the extremist group after graduation. It was Maaran who lured him into the TNLA. He was Maaran's second-in-command.
Ponnivalavan led the attack on the Andimadam police station and planned the bomb blast in a copper plant in Tuticorin in 1999. Also organised a series of looting and smuggling activities. Was the financial arm of the TNLA. Arrested in April 1999.