Struggle goes on for kin of police `plant’

Naika of Voddaradoddi in Meenyam was a police “plant” who was to spy on the brigand, notorious for his techniques in deception.

When police superintendent Harikrishna was appointed to handle the Veerappan case, he and his subordinate Sub-Inspector Shakeel Ahmed chalked out a plan to beat the brigand at his own game — deception.

Naika’s job was to seek out the brigand and furnish his whereabouts. A dangerous task, given the seasoned poacher and killer he was dealing with, a man not known to trust anyone, leave alone a police informant.

Naika’s apprehensions were proved right. The game plan boomeranged and proved too costly for the officers, more so the decoy’s family. It was Veerappan’s chance to avenge the killing of his close aide Gurunathan who had been gunned down in an “encounter”.