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| Friday, 22 October 2004 |
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What happened to dreaded Indian bandit's moustache? MADRAS, India, Thursday (AFP) For years, mothers in southern India were said to have used the country's most notorious bandit, Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, as a bogeyman to get their youngsters to behave. "Be quiet or Veerappan will get you," they said. He was so dreaded a figure that Indian advertising companies used his name in television commercials as someone nobody would want to disagree with. But when security forces finally shot dead Veerappan this week, grisly photos of his body on a mortuary slab showed a frail shell of the macho "Bandit King," who had taunted security forces from his jungle hideouts for years. The biggest talking point, however, was the disappearance of the luxuriant trademark handlebar moustache of the man known as the "jungle cat" for his ability to hide in the thick forests of southern Tamil Nadu state. The resplendent bushy moustache, which numerous video shots deep in the jungle had showed Veerappan meticulously combing, was neatly trimmed. Veerappan, accused of killing over 100 people and over 2,000 elephants, was buried Wednesday in southern Tamil Nadu state after being killed two days earlier while seeking medical treatment for an eye complaint. Security officials who had hunted the ivory and sandalwood smuggler said he must have clipped his thick moustache to escape detection during his trips for medical attention. The years as a fugitive had worn him out and he was suffering from eyesight and stomach troubles, they said. "Veerappan was very proud of his moustache. He loved his moustache and wouldn't have cut it unless it was a matter of life and death," said a security officer closely involved in the search for the bandit, believed to be 60. There had been many close shaves during the more than two-decade hunt for the bandit but Veerappan had never chopped off his moustache - even though he knew it would betray his identity. "It was a macho symbol that fitted his hard life in the woods," the officer said, asking to remain unnamed. The brigand, who inspired several Indian movie thrillers, was extremely proud of his moustache and bestowed elaborate care on it," said R.R. Gopal, editor of the popular Tamil magazine Nakkeeran. "He would spend considerable time with it every day, using special oils, treated with herbs before combing and rolling it round his fingers to give it that stylish droop," he recalled. "He would procure imported dyes to ensure it remained black. Also, he took great pride in showing off his moustache and asking his rare guests how it suited his bony face with a sharp long nose," he said. Gopal interviewed Veerappan on many occasions and acted as negotiator to free hostages taken by the brigand for ransom. However, once Veerappan left his jungle lair and decided to seek medical treatment in more open areas, he must have realised "his dear moustache could become his noose" and so it had to be trimmed, the security officer said. Indeed, some Indian news reports said Veerappan's vision problems stemmed from an allergic reaction to dye he used to colour his greying eyebrows that had dripped into an eye. This prompted his journey to see an eye doctor during which security forces killed him en route, the reports said. "Losing the moustache to keep the eyes," read a frontpage headline in the Calcutta newspaper, The Statesman. Veerappan's family has demanded an investigation into the bandit's slaying, alleging security forces arrested him earlier and then killed him Monday. The bandit had told journalists in interviews he had bribed politicians and police, and vowed to reveal full details if he was ever brought to trial. |
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