Bangalore, Nov. 21 :    Bangalore, Nov. 21:  Karnataka has appointed a daredevil police officer, known for his martial arts skills and one who has inspired many a movie, to lead the operations against Veerappan. H.T. Sangliana, additional director-general of police, will head the special task force formed to hunt down India's most wanted criminal. 'Sangliana has already left for the forests to take charge,' chief minister S.M. Krishna said, adding that the task force will be revamped and strengthened. A 1967-batch IPS officer from Mizoram, the 57-year-old Sangliana's earlier stints as superintendent of police in the districts of Shimoga, Gulbarga and Chikmagalur earned him fame and popularity. He struck terror among criminals and outlaws. Sangliana was police superintendent of Chikmagalur during the 1978 byelection contested by Indira Gandhi. 'Among the present officers he is the best,' said Tamil Nadu's former police chief Srinivaslu. Known for his unusual and daredevil policing methods, Sangliana's career has been the theme of at least three superhit Kannada films. An expert in martial arts, Sangliana has a good knowledge of forests. Top officials feel it would help him familiarise himself with the 6,000-sq km terrain of the Satyamangalam forests where the bandit has his hideouts. The officer has also served in the special security bureau in insurgency-scarred Manipur. Krishna later told reporters that he would call on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and home minister L.K. Advani in Delhi on Thursday. He indicated he would seek 'Central help' in pursuing the bandit, whose links with Tamil extremists have been well established.