DETECTIVES hunting the killer of Hampshire student Hannah Foster were today liaising with the Indian equivalent of the FBI on the trail of their prime suspect.

A team of three Hampshire police officers were meeting representatives from the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation in the Punjab to discuss progress in the case so far.

The meeting came as Hampshire Constabulary released a new digitally enhanced image of the prime suspect, Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, right.

Murder squad detectives called in experts to tinker with a photograph of 35-year-old Kohli to show how he may look now, nearly six months after Hannah was killed near her Southampton home.

The picture, which was featured in later editions of yesterday's Daily Echo, shows Kohli wearing a turban and with a fuller beard than in photographs released previously.

Police said the photo was being circulated among Punjab police officers, who are leading the search for Kohli.

Three Hampshire police officers flew to Delhi last Tuesday after receiving permission from the Indian government to carry out inquiries to assist the prosecution case being prepared in the UK.

The team has no jurisdiction in India and must leave it to local police officers in the Punjab to make the longed-for arrest of Kohli, who has been in hiding since March 29.

Hampshire officers have spent the past week liaising with the British High Commission, Interpol and Punjab police chiefs.

Although due to return to Britain this weekend, the team may extend the stay if inquiries have not been completed.

Speaking from the Punjab capital of Chandigarh last night, Det Supt Alan Betts said good progress was being made, and a strong working relationship had been forged with the Indian authorities.

He told the Daily Echo: "We are progressing well with our inquiries in respect of the case being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK.

"I have also been very impressed with how professional and detailed the statements have been which the Indian police have been taking on our behalf."

Father-of-two Kohli, formerly of Broadlands Road, Swaythling, was identified as the prime suspect for 17-year-old Hannah's abduction, rape and murder following an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch UK programme.

The former sandwich delivery driver caught a flight to Delhi on March 18, two days after Hannah's body was found dumped in Allington Lane, West End.

Hannah, a talented A-level student, had disappeared on Friday, March 14 while walking back to her Portswood home after a night out with friends.