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Rajakumar will return to Bangalore on Thursday

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

Kannada super star Dr Rajakumar will return to Bangalore only on Thursday by noon along with Nagesh, both of whom were freed by forest brigand Veerappan in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The Karnataka government flew a helicopter to Coimbatore on Wednesday evening to fetch the thespian from the industrial town.

According to official sources in Bangalore, Dr Rajakumar reached Coimbatore on Wednesday evening from Erode and is recuperating at a private hospital.

Earlier in the day, after an examination doctors certified him fit to proceed by car to Coimbatore.

The 72-year-old actor is under observation as he is reported to be weak and exhausted owing to the 108-day ordeal in inhospitable terrain somewhere in the Satyamangalam forests.

Rajakumar's much-relieved family members, including wife Parvathamma and their three sons, are with him now. Other relatives have also rushed from Gajanur, Rajakumar's native village, to meet him.

Dr Rajakumar was kidnapped by sandalwood smuggler Veerappan on the night of July 30 along with three others.

As a pre-cautionary measure, the state government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Bangalore (city and rural areas) and the old Mysore region, comprising Mandya, Mysore and Chamrajnagar districts.

Home Minister Mallikarjun Charge made a statement to this effect on the floor of the House on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, the much-relieved Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna left for Delhi in the evening to congratulate Congress president Sonia Gandhi on her victory in the party presidential elections. He will return to Bangalore on Thursday morning, in time to receive Dr Rajakumar.

In a related development, the police have started making security arrangements in and around the garden city for Thursday's grand reception for Dr Rajakumar by thousands of his fans.

Elaborate arrangements are being made to regulate the crowds right from the airport to the actor's house in the posh Raj Vilas Mahal locality.

Frenzied fans of Rajakumar have already started celebrating his release across the city by bursting crackers and blowing trumphets. Film federations and chambers have hailed his safe return from the jungle.

The Rajakumar Abduction: complete coverage
The saga of Veerappan

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