Chennai: One of Veerappan's associates escaped when the STF personnel shot dead the forest brigand at Papparapatti village in Dharmapuri district.

K Vijayakumar, Chief of the STF, who led the operations against Veerappan, said from Dharmapuri that, "We are looking for a man, who is supposed to be an abetter."

It was a triumph for Vijayakumar in his second tenure as head of the special force to nab Veerappan. He had led the BSF (Border Security Force) team to nab the brigand when he was DIG, BSF, but could not taste success then.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Veerappan and three accomplices were taken to the Dharmapuri Government hospital, where post mortems are being conducted.

A large number of people have gathered in front of the hospital, police sources said.

A decision on handing over the bodies to the relatives would be taken only after post-mortem, the sources said.