Muthulakshmi (Veerappan’s Wife) Age, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Muthulakshmi Veerappan [1]Open The Magazine
Profession	Politician
Known For	Being the widow of the Indian sandalwood smuggler Veerappan
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 163 cm in meters- 1.63 m in feet & inches- 5’ 4”
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 1974
Age (as of 2023)	49 Years
Birthplace	Neruppur, Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Tamil Nadu
Educational Qualification	Upto class 8 [2]Business Standard
Controversy	Police Cases Filed in Various Cases In 1992, a Special Task Force was formed by the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments with the aim of apprehending Veerappan and his accomplice. In an attempt to evade the STF, she sought refuge in a dense forest. She spent two terrifying nights all by herself in the jungle, but the police eventually caught her. They didn't take her to court and instead detained her in a police camp. During her time there, she was treated very harshly, enduring torture, starvation, physical beatings, and even electric shocks. It was an incredibly scary and dangerous experience, and she lived every day in fear for her life. Later, the media learned about what happened to her and published the story in a newspaper. As a result, a case was filed against the police, and she was eventually released after being presented in court. On 30 July 2000, she was arrested again for her involvement in a kidnapping case of an Indian actor named Rajkumar. Rajkumar had been taken from his farmhouse in a place called Thottagajanoor, which was about 400 km away from Chennai. A court in Erode, Western Tamil Nadu, cleared Muthulakshmi and others of any involvement in this kidnapping case. The police had accused Muthulakshmi and 25 of her relatives of helping the kidnapper, a criminal named Veerappan, and his associates. They were also accused of receiving illegal money from him. The police invoked sections 216 and 412 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) against them. They claimed to have found Rs 40 lakh in cash, 30 sovereigns of gold, and three vehicles in their possession, suggesting that they received part of the ransom from Veerappan. However, Rajkumar was eventually released after 108 days in captivity on 15 November 2000, allegedly after a huge amount of money was paid as ransom for his release. In the court proceedings, Judge Krishnan in the III Additional District and Sessions Court declared Muthulakshmi and ten others innocent, stating that the charges against them were not proven. Thirteen others were convicted and sentenced to one year in prison along with a fine of Rs 150 each. She felt some relief after eight years since her husband's demise when 11 out of the 24 accused in the case were acquitted. However, the remaining accused were granted bail and planned to challenge the verdict in the High Court, as explained by their defence counsel. Later, Muthulakshmi was declared not guilty by a court in Karnataka in two murder cases, two bomb blast cases, and one case involving an attack on a police station. This information indicates that she had been facing challenging situations for quite some time. [3]India Today
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Widowed
Marriage Date	January 1990
Family
Husband/Spouse	Veerappan (dacoit and sandalwood smuggler)
Children	Daughter(s)- 3 • Vidya Rani or Vijayalakshmi (born in 1990) (actor & BJP leader; joined in 2020) • Prabha (born in 1992) • Her third daughter was strangled to death. [4]The News Minute
Parents	Her parents were farmers.
Siblings	She has an elder sister.

Some Lesser Known Facts About Muthulakshmi

• Muthulakshmi is an Indian politician and the widow of Veerappan, the notorious dacoit and sandalwood smuggler. Veerappan was killed by the Special Task Force police in 2004 as part of ‘Operation Cocoon.’

• In January 1990, Muthulakshmi married Veerappan. From a young age, Veerappan had made a firm decision to stay away from intoxicants and relationships with women, considering them as potential distractions. However, fate had other plans, as he found himself inexplicably drawn to Muthulakshmi. Despite his best intentions, Veerappan couldn’t resist visiting her village frequently.

• Muthulakshmi quickly noticed Veerappan’s frequent presence in her village and was captivated by his striking features, such as his bristling moustache, intense gaze, and commanding demeanour which earned both respect and fear from the villagers. His mysterious aura left a strong impression on her, and she couldn’t help but respond positively to his attention.

• However, Muthulakshmi’s parents did not approve of her relationship with Veerappan, and her father even told him that she was already engaged to one of her cousins. Despite the rejection, Veerappan was determined to be with her. He eloped with Muthulakshmi, and they got married in a forest temple in January 1990.

• During her pregnancy, Muthulakshmi lived in the forest with Veerappan for eight months, but as her delivery neared, she decided to return to her parents’ home. Fearing arrest, her father took her to Chennai, where she surrendered to the police. She was then placed in a women’s hostel and gave birth to a baby girl, named Vidya Rani by an STF officer named Sylendra Babu.

• Although she was allowed to go back to her parents’ home in Neruppur, her movements were closely monitored by the authorities. One day, a man claiming to be a relative visited Muthulakshmi, but he was actually one of Veerappan’s men. He delivered a message from Veerappan, urging her to leave the baby with her parents and return to the jungle because he missed her. However, Muthulakshmi found it incredibly difficult to part with her child. She resisted Veerappan’s command for a couple of months, but eventually, she realized that her baby would have a better life in the village than in the forest.

• One night, she secretly left Neruppur and reunited with Veerappan in the jungle.

• Following Veerappan’s death in 2004, Muthulakshmi endured an incredibly challenging time. Depressed by his death, she made an attempt to take her life by consuming phenyl. However, she received timely medical attention at a nearby hospital, and the harmful substance was removed from her body. Later on, a police officer named Tamilselvan came to her aid and helped her secure a job at Vasudeva Textiles, a textile mill in Coimbatore, where she earned Rs 25 per day.

• For three years, from 1995 to 1998, she worked there, keeping her true identity a secret from everyone. She described this phase as one of the most difficult periods in her life. Despite her legs being injured from past encounters with the police, she had to work long hours, feeling isolated and finding it challenging to connect with others around her.

• In 2006, Muthulakshmi contested as an independent candidate in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, representing the Pennagaram constituency.
  

  Muthulakshmi in a political rally

• In 2013, she took legal action against filmmaker A.M.R. Ramesh for inaccurately portraying her late husband in the Kannada film ‘Attahasa.’ Her efforts were successful, and she was awarded a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs even before the film’s release.

• In January 2018, she took a step further and established an organization named ‘Mann Kaakkum Veerathamizhar Peramaippu.’ The main purpose of this organization was to advocate for government support in providing fresh water for agriculture and to assist farmers.

• Additionally, she set up a self-help group named “Malaival Makkal Urimai Iyakkam” to offer assistance to underprivileged villagers residing along the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

• Muthulakshmi has actively engaged in various social service activities, particularly in supporting individuals who faced challenges due to Veerappan’s actions.

• On 31 March 2019, she took a significant step in her public service journey by joining the political party Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi, furthering her commitment to advocacy and serving the community.