Rajkumar Abduction: 25 Years Since Karnataka Was Rocked by the Kidnap Crisis

Kannada thespian, Late Dr. Rajkumar , was abducted by the forest brigand Veerappan on this day (July 30th) in 2000 . The sensational kidnap shook Karnataka. What was assumed to be a short-lived pain turned out to be a 108-day captivity. The kidnap took place during the course of an armed attack on a farmhouse belonging to the actor in Gajanur, Tamil Nadu. While Rajkumar was kidnapped around 10 pm, it was not until the next morning that the news was known to the world. Until then, only Rajkumar's family knew about it. Reports at that time stated that Rajkumar's wife, Parvathamma, personally called on the-then CM of Karnataka to hand over an audio cassette Veerappan had given her at the time of the kidnap. In the cassette, Veerappan demanded the government to send an emissary to hold talks with him. Soon after TV channels broke the news on the morning of July 31st, the streets of Bengaluru witnessed disturbances. Rajkumar's supporters lost their cool. At that time, reports speculated that Veerappan needed a ransom. That Veerappan the forest brigand was low on funds and may resort to abduction as a possible means to replenish his coffers was known to the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Special Task Forces (STFs), which had been constituted to nab him. But where and when he would strike was the question no one could answer. Now when he struck, he chose a precious target, Frontline reported. When Rajkumar was ultimately released in November, his fans celebrated his arrival. Also Read : War 2: Oopiri Ooyalaga song teaser out Rishab Shetty: Four movies, four diverse genres