Bengaluru, February 3: Karnataka police on Sunday arrested a woman associate of Indian bandit Veerappan from Jageri village in Chamarajanagar district of the state. The woman, identified as Stella Mary, was arrested 15 years after the death of Veerappan. The 40-year-old woman had been absconding for the last 27 years. Four Arrested in Delhi in Connection with Sandalwood Smuggling.

According to a report published in The Indian Express, Mary had been absconding since 1993 after being booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) (TADA) Act. Mary was living with her second husband by cultivating sugarcane on rented land near Chennipuradoddi. Her first husband died due to illness. Andhra Pradesh: Three Held for Smuggling Red Sandalwood.

Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police H D Ananda Kumar told the media house, “Stella was initially arrested for taking shots to drive elephants away from her sugarcane field, causing a minor fire. When questioned on how she knew to operate a gun, she revealed her involvement with Veerappan and his gang.” She was allegedly involved in the Palar bomb explosion case, illegal transportation of arms and attack on Ramapura police station and is facing three other cases under TADA. After the arrest, Mary was produced before a trial court and sent to judicial custody.

Veerappan was killed in October 2004 by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force. The operation was codenamed as “Cocoon”. He was involved in many criminal activities, including sandalwood smuggling, kidnapping major politicians for ransom.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2020 04:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).