Bangalore: The missing of the trademark handlebar moustache on the face of Veerappan may have fuelled speculation about the identity of the dead man but a noted forensic scientist says a study of the forest bandit's external ear confirms that the body indeed is that of the sandalwood smuggler.

Prof P Chandra Sekharan, who was the principal scientific investigator in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, said he studied the anatomical structures of the external ear of Veerappan from ante mortem and post-mortem photographs and compared them to get the confirmation.

External ear's anatomical structure differs from individual to individual and constitutes a characteristic feature of personal identification, explained the former Director of Tamil Nadu Government's Forensic Science Department.

Pointing out that the combination of various parts of the external ear such as helix, antihelix, triangular fossa, tragus and lobule is unique to an individual, he said, "Veerappan's ear is unique with a flat tragus formation and the tragus being contiguous with the curved portion of the helix."

"The lobule is enlarged and squarish in shape. These peculiar features, in my opinion, are more than enough to confirm the identity of Veerappan," Sekharan added in a statement in Bangalore today (Oct 21, 2004).