Karnataka: One Naxalite shot dead, four others escape in Udupi district

Udupi, (Karnataka), Nov 19 (PTI) A Naxalite was shot dead by Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) near Eedu village in Karkala taluk of this district, official sources said on Tuesday.

A group of Naxalites was spotted by the ANF during an intensive combing operation on Monday afternoon, they said.

On sighting the ANF party, one of them opened fire allegedly with an automatic weapon. The ANF team retaliated by killing Vikram Gowda, while four others escaped, the sources said.

"Vikram Gowda had been leading the Naxalite operations in south India for over two decades. He had taken shelter in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and had visited Kodagu (in Karnataka) many times," an official said. PTI