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.

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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.

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)