Alleged Indian criminal boss arrested

Officials in India have announced the arrest of a suspected key underworld figure known as Abu Salem.

He is accused of being behind a series of bombings in the city of Bombay eight years ago in which more than 250 people died.

The Deputy Chief Minister of the western state of Maharashtra, Chagan Bhujpal, told the BBC Hindi service that Mr Salem had been arrested in the Gulf region under an international arrest warrant.

Other officials said that Mr Salem had been apprehended in Sharjah, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

He said he hoped that the central government in Delhi would initiate extradition proceedings.

Mr Salem has been accused of running the operations of the Bombay criminal boss.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service