The mystery surrounding the killing of Janata Dal United leader H Nagappa deepened on Tuesday when the Karnataka Special Task Force recovered 27 empty cartridges suspected to have been fired from an AK-47 rifle.

The cartridges were recovered within 300 to 500 yards of the spot where Nagappa's body was found, fuelling speculation on the circumstances of his death.

A search party led by Karnataka STF commander Jyothi Prakash Mirji also recovered the personal belongings of Nagappa. They were found intact in a bag with provisions bundled in one bedsheet.

Asked if the recovery of cartridges suggested that Nagappa might have been killed in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu STF as alleged by Veerappan, Karnataka Director General of Police T Madiyal said it was premature to point a finger in that direction. Only an investigation would reveal the truth, he said.

In the sixth cassette sent to the government hours before the body was recovered, Veerappan had claimed that he and the hostage were injured in a gun battle with the Tamil Nadu STF, a charge dismissed by that state.

Meanwhile, reports circulated that Veerappan had sent a seventh cassette to the Karnataka government apologising for  Nagappa's death, but Chief Minister S M Krishna described them as "baseless".

The Nagappa Abduction: Complete Coverage