In the heart of what is locally known as 'Veerappan territory', the forest brigand remains shrouded in folklore. The locals remember him as the 'smart kid' of Gopinatham village, born in a dominant OBC caste in this belt, who was conversant with the crafty jungle ways since childhood and knew the thickly-forested and inaccessible terrain like the 'back of his palm'. 'It is nearly 12 years since Veerappan, who still manages to find a contact to the weekly market to buy provisions, passed this small marketplace at Govindapadi,' says a local retailer, who wishes to remain anonymous. 'Where are they going to catch him?' he asks, adding that Veerappan, who continues to give the Special Task Force a tough time, knows precisely 'which part of the forest will have water in any particular month of the year'. For most of the wary local population, the STF remains the bigger of the two evils. Several hunters have 'unlearnt their skills' and the tribals remain guarded in their response under the watchful eye of STF personnel in 'mufti'. 'Why would anyone be interested in the poor?' said a tribal woman near Palar on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. 'We don't even know who Veerappan is,' she adds defensively, lest her conversation draws the ire of the STF campers nearby. 'We tend a few cattle, grow some millets and make bonfires to scare away the elephants,' said a tribal man, adding that neither Veerappan nor the STF were their concern. The locals have not forgotten the 'harassment and torment' they suffered under the STF during 1993-96. Some of them recounted in hushed tones the 'macabre events' of those days when people were picked up arbitrarily under Tada for being suspected associates of Veerappan and subjected to 'unspeakable torture'. However, the STF had to change its ways following sustained pressure from human rights groups. Justice Sadhasivam Commission's probe into the alleged excesses of the STF reshaped the task force's attitude. 'Now they (STF) do their job without bothering us much,' said an elderly tribesman. In fact, one of Veerappan's conditions for releasing the kidnapped Kannada matinee idol, Raj Kumar, was payment of compensation to victims of STF excesses. The STF has resumed operations with a 'new plan of action', aided by sophisticated gadgets and additional support from the BSF, which was withdrawn a few months back. According to sources, Tamil Nadu STF chief Walter Davaram is 'more realistic now'. Trying to track down Veerappan has proved to be a daunting task. However, sources said the STF had scored a few victories in the past year - recovered nearly 30 per cent of the cash that changed hands prior to Raj Kumar's release from various Veerappan associates, snapped a vital communication channel to the brigand and drastically reduced the strength of his gang. With a lean supply route, Veerappan was 'always kept on the run', sources said. But they also emphasised that the undulating forest terrain gave the brigand a positional advantage over the STF with his shifting locales. As Veerappan continues to lie low, the STF has shifted its personnel to a remote bungalow, 40 km inside the jungle from their M.M. Hills camp, to avoid the media. To crack the riddle behind the brigand's hideout, the STF is being aided by Muthukumar, a Tamil militant, Chinna Ponnannan, a former associate of the brigand, and Sampathkumar, a relative.