STF in a bind over Veerappan's new avatar

mysore: notorious forest brigand veerappan talks glibly of chile-born cuban revolutionary leader che guevara and his warfare tactics these days. no longer is he an ignoramus with no knowledge of the outside world. and the established links that veerappan and his gang have with ultra-leftist groups have compounded problems for the special task force (stf) and the law enforcing agencies in their operation to nab him.so far, for the stf, the brigand was a shrewd criminal but with no knowledge of the outside world. officials in the force described veerappan as a "rat in the thick forests of male mahadeshwara hills with no image or identity of his own." the brigand never took on the police directly, as for him, his survival was of utmost importance, stf sources said. with veerappan''s claims of being a `tamil extremist'' and quoting liberally from guevara has got the stf worried stiff. it is a mighty transformation from a brigand who earlier poached elephants and felled sandalwood trees. according to police officials who worked in the stf earlier, this transformation of veerappan into a militant with a leftist ideology may cost both the tamil nadu and karnataka governments dear as they are both states not used to militant activity unlike parts of north india. ``veerappan''s claims indicate that he has been influenced by radicals and in future they will guide his line of thinking. it''s quid pro quo __ the terrorists will need veerappan''s help to survive in the thick forests. an official who did not want to be quoted, warned, ``forests in the male mahadeshwara ranges are being turned into a safe hide-out for various extremist groups.'''' stf officials termed the relationship between the extremists who have veerapan''s gang and the brigand as a "symbiotic relationship." meanwhile, it has been revealed that the tamil nadu government directed the `q'' branch (intelligence wing which keeps a vigil on the movements and activities of extremist groups and their leaders) officials to gather information and ascertain the ideological background and origins of the extremists who have reportedly joined the gang.