Daijiworld Media Network - Mysore (SP)

Mysore, Oct 10: Retired deputy superintendent of police, Abdul Karim (84), who doggedly, relentlessly and single-handedly worked with a mission to bring dreaded bandit, sandalwood smuggler and elephant poacher, Veerappan to book, passed away on Friday October 9. Karim, who lived in Yadavagiri in the city, is survived by wife Mumtaz Begum, a son and seven daughters.

Karim had taken up the cudgel to pursue Veerappan, after his son, sub-inspector Shakil Ahmed, was killed in a bomb attack by the Veerappan gang, in which superintednent of police Harikrishna and 22 policemen had lost their lives. The policemen were part of the Special Task Force team formed to nab the forest brigand.

Abdul Karim had retired in the year 1980 in the capacity of DySP, after serving in Mysore, Mandya, Kolar, Shimoga and Bangalore.

But for Karim, who continued to question every concession or decision taken by the government about releasing some of the accomplices of Veerappan in return for a favour from Veerappan like the release of Kannada cine actor Raj Kumar, through the court, several of the brigand's close associates would have been free by now. Karim went up to Supreme Court single-handedly to ensure tht Veerappan did not get what he wanted, sometimes, even putting the government in a dilemma.