Dharmapuri/Chennai: One of the country's longest and expensive manhunts ended midnight last night (Oct 18, 2004) with the killing of dreaded forest brigand Veerappan and three of his close associates in a shootout in a trap laid by the Special Task Force (STF) that had been on his trail for more than a decade.

'Operation Cocoon' was a meticulously planned action based on extra-ordinary intelligence and the Ambulance in which Veerappan was travelling belonged to the Task Force and was driven by one of its men, STF Chief K Vijayakumar, told a press conference this morning (Oct 19, 2004) after the midnight encounter at Papparapatti, about 10 kms from Dharmapuri.

Elated over the elimination of the man, who carried a reward of over Rs three crore announced by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa claimed this was the "greatest achievement" of her Government. She announced a cash award of Rs three lakh for each of the 752 Task Force personnel and allotment of a plot of land to them.

Veerappan, accused of over 100 murders including a Karnataka Minister H Nagappa and killing of over 2000 elephants, had a free run of the over 7,000 sq km of the forest ranges in the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in the Western Ghats. He was also involved in smuggling of sandalwood and ivory.

Fifty-two-year-old Koose Munisamy Veerappan hit the national headlines four years ago when he kidnapped Kannada film icon Rajkumar and two others from his farmhouse in Doddargajanur on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border and held him hostage for over 100 days. While Rajkumar was freed after allegations of ransom payment, Nagappa, who was abducted two years later, was killed in the forests.