India's most wanted bandit, accused of murdering police officers, slaughtering elephants and smuggling millions of dollars of illegal sandalwood and ivory, was killed Monday night in a jungle shootout with police, an officer said.

Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, who had eluded police for three decades, and three other suspects were shot to death in a 20-minute gunbattle with a special police task force just before midnight, in a jungle forest, said K. Senthamaraikannan, the superintendent of police for Tamil Nadu state.

"Veerappan and three other associates were killed," said the police officer. "We have recovered the bodies."

He said police had received specific information about where Veerappan was hiding, near the village of Paparapatti, some 200 miles southwest of Madras, the Tamil Nadu state capital.

A police intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that an associate of Veerappan had surrendered about three hours before the gunbattle and led the police team to the hideout.

Source: Agencies