After forest brigand Veerappan, it is now Saravanan who haunts Karnataka Forest Department. The department is facing one more poacher who has killed six elephants recently. This nicknamed ‘Veerappan II’ is posing a great threat to the pachyderms and has become very active in the forest of the MM Hills and Sathyamangalam Forests of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The department has now deployed Special Task Force to nab this criminal who has wrecked havoc in the forest of bordering Tamil Nadu. With his elusive skills he has been hunting wild animals as part of an organised trade.
Saravanan Gownder (45), a native of Oonajakorai at Govindapadi Village in Salem district, nicknamed ‘Veerappan-II’ for emulating the modus operandi of the slain brigand Koose Veerappan, now with his well organised gang has become a threat to animals in the forest. According to Forest Department sources, this man is part of a well organised gang which is involved in animal poaching and trade. The Forest Department is now collecting information about him and his activities with the help of forest officials of Tamil Nadu. Saravanan also belongs to Gownder community which Veerappan hailed.
A forest officer said Saravanan with a gang of 20 skilled hunters has turned the MM Hills in Karnataka and Sathiyamangalam Forests in Tamil Nadu into his fortress. “Operating from these places, he has been frequently targeting tuskers. He is said to be supplying the flesh of bison and deer to the well-organised underworld wild animal meat market,” the officer added.
According to Karnataka Forest Department, Saravanan has so far killed six tuskers in the last one year. His elusiveness is largely owing to tactics of ambushing forest patrol staff, perfected by Veerappan.A recent attack on Karnataka forest guards near Palar check post has woken up the Forest Department and swung the Karnataka Government into action by increasing patrol and combing operation in jungles to curb Saravanan’s terror. So far the brigand is elusive and taking shelter in Tamil Nadu forests.
However, a forest official in Chamarajanagara range confessed that the personnel were ill-equipped to nab the elusive brigand. He said, “We don’t have guns and ammunition to fight this skilled and armed gang of Saravanan. If we leave him now he will threaten us like Veerappan. We need help from our Tamil Nadu counterparts to nab this gang at the earliest.”