TN court acquits 9 Veerappan men in Rajkumar kidnap case
Eighteen years after late Kannada superstar Rajkumar was kidnapped by slain forest brigand Veerappan, his nine associates involved in the abduction were acquitted today by a Tamil Nadu court. Third Additional Sessions Judge, Gobichettipalayam town, Mani acquitted them, holding that the charges against them have not been proved adequately by the prosecution, although as many as 47 witnesses were examined in the sensational case.
Rajkumar was kept in captivity for over 100 days
The judge said the witnesses' deposition also didn't corroborate the prosecution case fully. The case dates back to 2000, when Veerappan and his 14 associates kidnapped Rajkumar, at gunpoint, from his farmhouse in Dhodda Gajanure village on July 30. The actor was kept in captivity for over 100 days in the jungles spread across the Western Ghats, leading to tension in TN and Karnataka.
Veerappan and his three men were killed in an encounter
After 108 days, Veerappan released the actor. On a complaint from Rajkumar's wife, a case was registered against Veerappan and his associates for offenses under the Arms Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including conspiracy and kidnapping. Veerappan, along with three of his men, was killed in an alleged encounter near Dharmapuri in 2004. He was 52 when he died.
Heavy police force was deployed around the court
The remaining nine accused were arrested and later enlarged on bail. When the judgment was pronounced today, all the accused, except Puttusamy (who absented himself on health grounds), were present in the court. A heavy posse of police personnel was deployed around the court premises.
