The authorities in Karnataka say they are facing difficulties in setting up talks with wanted bandit Veerappan, who is holding a former state minister hostage.

Nagappa: Snatched from his home

Kollathur Mani, a jailed Tamil nationalist leader and P Nedumaran are the names put forward by Veerappan to the authorities in Karnataka.

The request was made amongst a list of demands included in a second cassette, sent to the authorities following the kidnap of former state minister H Nagappa 13 days ago.

Kollathur Mani is in jail at Bellary on a charge of having links with Veerappan and has already appealed to the bandit to release Mr Nagappa on health and humanitarian grounds.

Officials said the men are in jail and could not be freed due to legal complications

Veerappan has held Mr Nagappa hostage in the jungles which straddle the two states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Taped demands

Veerapan left his first tape behind at the home of the former minister on the day of the kidnapping and it is believed he often uses such recordings to state his choice of a negotiator.

Police said Veerappan warned the government he would behead the hostage if there was police action to track him down and that he would list his demands in the second tape.

Mr Nagappa's family have asked the authorities not to risk his life by venturing into a rescue operation.

The former minister's health is a cause of concern as he is a diabetic.

His wife Parimala has been sending messages over state-run radio urging the bandit to give her husband his daily dosage of medicine.

Wanted

The bandit is believed to listen to the radio very often and catches up with the outside world on his radio set.

Veerappan is wanted for more than 120 killings including several police and forest officials.

Mani and Nedumaran are known sympathisers of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who are fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The LTTE was banned by India after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991, by an LTTE human bomb.