<p>Madhaiyan, the elder brother of dreaded sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, died Wednesday morning following a cardiac arrest at a government hospital in Salem where he was receiving treatment since May 1. He was 80 and is survived by his wife.</p>.<p>Madhaiyan, who was sentenced to life for the murder of forest ranger Chidambaram in 1987, had been in jail for the past 34 years. He was also convicted in a murder case and spent some time at the Mysuru jail before he was shifted to Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p>Doctors at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital said Madhaiyan was admitted on May 1 after he complained of chest pain. “He was being treated for various ailments and suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday morning,” a doctor said.</p>.<p>Veerappan, who was killed by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF) on October 18, 2004, in an encounter, earned notoriety for poaching elephants, smuggling sandalwood, kidnapping high-profile people like Kannada Thespian Raj Kumar and former minister Nagappa, and killing policemen and others who came his way. </p>.<p>The bandit ran an empire inside the forests along the Sathyamangalam forests spread across Erode and Mysore districts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, respectively.</p>
<p>Madhaiyan, the elder brother of dreaded sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, died Wednesday morning following a cardiac arrest at a government hospital in Salem where he was receiving treatment since May 1. He was 80 and is survived by his wife.</p>.<p>Madhaiyan, who was sentenced to life for the murder of forest ranger Chidambaram in 1987, had been in jail for the past 34 years. He was also convicted in a murder case and spent some time at the Mysuru jail before he was shifted to Tamil Nadu.</p>.<p>Doctors at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital said Madhaiyan was admitted on May 1 after he complained of chest pain. “He was being treated for various ailments and suffered a cardiac arrest on Wednesday morning,” a doctor said.</p>.<p>Veerappan, who was killed by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF) on October 18, 2004, in an encounter, earned notoriety for poaching elephants, smuggling sandalwood, kidnapping high-profile people like Kannada Thespian Raj Kumar and former minister Nagappa, and killing policemen and others who came his way. </p>.<p>The bandit ran an empire inside the forests along the Sathyamangalam forests spread across Erode and Mysore districts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, respectively.</p>