Karnataka's Inspector General of Police (security) T Jayaprakash has filed a defamation suit against former director general of police C Dinakar, who had accused him of carrying Rs 5 crore [approximately US $1.03 million] in ransom to forest brigand Veerappan to secure the release of abducted Kannada film star Rajakumar two years ago.

IGP Jayaprakash filed the suit in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Neginal in Bangalore on Saturday. The publisher of Dinakar's book, titled 'Veerappan's Prize Catch: Rajkumar', Konark Publishers Ltd, Delhi, has also been implicated in the suit.

This is the first defamation case filed against Dinakar after his startling book was released last week.

The former state police chief has alleged in his 330-page book that a total of Rs 20 crore [US $4.12 million] was paid in instalments as ransom to Veerappan for releasing the film star, who was held hostage by the outlaw for 108 days during August-November 2000. The Karnataka government has denied the charge as baseless.

Dinakar has also accused Chief Minister S M Krishna of having spoken to the bandit on cell phone after Rajakumar
was released.

Karnataka's security adviser T Srinivasulu, himself a former DGP, has also threatened to sue Dinakar for having levelled baseless charges and made insinuations against him in the book.