New Delhi - India's most notorious bandit leader, wanted for nearly 150 murders, shooting dead thousands of elephants for ivory, kidnapping scores of people and cutting down entire forests of precious sandalwood trees, has threatened to kill nine hostages by the end of July if he and his men are not granted an official pardon, writes Rahul Bedi.
From his hideout in the jungles of the southern Indian state of Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Veerappan told a journalist that if the police tried to rescue the hostages he would decapitate them.