CHENNAI, August 7: The elusive outlaw Veerappan, who is holding nine Karnataka forest staff hostage, wants a ransom of Rs 5 crore for their release, if the authorities do not concede his demand for general amnesty. The brigand has set August 15 as the deadline for the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to take a decision in this regard, according to R R Gopal, editor of the the Tamil magazine `Nakkeeran', who acted as the TN government's emissary to the sandalwood smuggler. Gopal said Veerappan has handcuffed and chained the hostages after listening to radio reports that his demand for general amnesty had been turned down. He said he had finally convinced the outlaw to remove the chains, but said the hostages were undegoing great hardship. Gopal said the poacher-turned-smuggler was adamant about his demand for amnesty.

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