Trial commences in Rajkumar kidnap case

ERODE: The trial in the Rajkumar kidnap case commenced at the Gobi Fast Track Court on Thursday.Brigand Veerappan and his gang kidnapped the late Kannada matinee idol from his farm house at Thottakajanur, Thalavadi, in Sathy taluk, on July 31, 2000.They also abducted Rajkumar’s son-in-law Govindaraj, assistants Nagesh and Nagappa. Veerappan kept Rajkumar in his custody for 108 days and released him after putting forth some demands before Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments. He held talks with some emissaries who went into the forest before releasing Rajkumar and others on November 15, 2000. Before that, Nagappa escaped from the forest. During those 108 days, the entire film industry and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka  people were tense.