9 accused of kidnapping Kannada actor 18 yrs ago acquitted

A court in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday acquitted nine men accused of kidnapping Kannada actor Rajkumar in 2000 on grounds that the prosecution failed to prove that they were accomplices of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan. Rajkumar was abducted by Veerappan from his farmhouse in Thalavadi and held captive for 108 days in the jungle.