Plea for help in India bandit hunt

The authorities in the Indian state of Karnataka say they have asked the central government to deploy paramilitary troops to help in the hunt for Veerappan, India's most wanted bandit.

The state Home Minister, Mallikharjuna Kharge, told the BBC he had asked Delhi for troops trained in jungle warfare and for sophisticated communications and tracking equipment.

Veerappan, who has been in his jungle hideout for several years, is accused of killing a former minister H Nagappa whose decomposed body was found on Sunday.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service