These photos throw light on the kind of life Veerapan leads in his forest hideout...»
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The perils of attempting Veerappan’s sketch are many, …even for this reporter who has been studying the poacher for many years, has been a witness to his many treacheries and has touched the fear he puts in people who have dared to cross his path.

However, an element of authenticity can be lent to such a sketch, if an expert on criminals, deviants and psychopaths was to make it.

To that end, Dr BN Chattoraj, a professor at the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences, was given a disjointed set of facts on Veerappan for his comments. The information was collated by this reporter during interviews with Special Task Force chiefs (one of them being Superintendent of Police T Harikrishna, who was killed by Veerappan within months of the interview) over a long period.

It is also based on accounts of top forest officials, including the slain Deputy Conservator of Forests P Srinivas, and villagers of the area.

To avoid the pitfalls of pre-conceived notions clouding Professor Chattoraj's judgment, the identity of the criminal was not disclosed to him. At the end of the two-hour session, certain inferences were drawn, based on which the following psychological profile of Veerappan was prepared.

For brevity and relevance, Veerappan's life and career have been mapped in three sections:
His birth and upbringing, and initiation and schooling in crime (from 11 years to 30 years of age);
His emergence as a gang leader, and consolidation and growth of his empire (from 30 years to 45     years of age); and
Veerappan in recent times. ...more »