Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday night congratulated Special Task Force Chief K Vijaykumar and his team for their 'sterling achievement' in killing forest brigand Veerappan and three of his associates in an encounter in Dharmapuri district on Sunday night.

Also read: Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan shot dead | The Veerappan Saga

"I congratulate each man and officer for this sterling achievement of scaling the very heights of a risky mission, in ridding our society of the murderous menace that has defied us all these years, spreading pillage, destruction and death and destroying life and the ecosphere," the chief minister said in a four-page statement.

"My unwavering stand, patience and perseverance, in the relentless pursuit of the dreaded bandit, has now been completely vindicated," she said.

Giving details of the encounter, Jayalalithaa said the STF seized deadly arms and ammunition from the brigand and his men.

"The dreaded forest brigand Veerappan and his entire gang consisting of Sethukkuli Govindan, Chandra Gowda and Sethu Mani were killed in this operation," she said.

Jayalalithaa said she was "filled with a sense of pride" at the success of this "daring operation" by the Tamil Nadu police.

She contacted Governor P S Ramamohan Rao, now in Delhi, to convey the news.

Pointing out that she had created the STF in 1993 during her first tenure as chief minister to nab the brigand, the chief minister blamed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government for rendering the STF "ineffective" by shutting down its operations and "virtually demobilising it."

"When I came back to power in 2001, I immediately took steps to reconstitute and reinvigorate the STF and give it the
necessary backing to go after the bandit. Every political party mocked me for my stand in this whole operation, particularly the DMK, which played a dubious role in the Rajkumar abduction crisis.

"Even the media have been sceptical about the whole operation and have indulged in lampooning the efforts of my government to nab Veerappan," she said.

Jayalalithaa said she did not flinch, nor waver in the pursuit of the dreaded bandit, as she had "immense faith" in the professionalism and dedication of the Tamil Nadu police.

"My unstinted support and relentless determination to back the STF operations has now been vindicated with the elimination of the most elusive bandit Veerappan and his accomplices," he said.

Complete coverage of the Abduction of Dr Rajakumar