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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.