Coimbatore : The 71-year-old Mathaiyan, the elder brother of slain forest brigand Veerappan, undergoing life imprisonment in the Central Jail here, was today admitted to the government hospital, following illness.

Mathaiyan was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a forest official in Sathyamangalam area some 25 years ago and lodged in the central jail here.

Since he had been suffering from age-related diseases, he was being treated in the Jail hospital at regular interval, police said. Mathaiyan suddenly developed breathlessness this morning and was admitted to the Government hospital, police said.