Daijiworld Media Network - Madikeri (MS)

Madikeri, Feb 22: The inmates of the house of Naladi village coffee estate, near Kakkabbe here, where the naxals had food and took rice from them on Monday, February 19, have identified that the team included the leader of their gang Vikram Gowda from the photo that was shown to them by the police.

A team of three naxals visited the house of Kudiyara Pemmaiah on Monday and had a sumptuous meal of meat and rice and also took rice and disappeared into the nearby forest. Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) team, under the leadership of Rajendra Prasad, superintendent of police (SP) is conducting a search operation.

When the police showed the file photos to Kudiyara Pemmiah, he identified two of the naxals who visited his house. It is confirmed that one of them was Vikram Gowda and the other is Chandra. The identity of the third person is not known. The same team was sighted in Koyanad, near Sampaje on February 2 and the locals there also identified Vikram Gowda by the photo that was shown by the police.

Suspicion of escape to Kerala

The team which acted as if they are going to Subramanya, after receiving the rice and other items at Koyanad is suspected to have gone to Kerala. There is a thick forest of Kerala after crossing Tadiyandamol hill and it is possible that they have visited the house of Kudiyara Pemmaiah, which is on this way. Information is conveyed to Kerala police in this regard. There is a possibility of joint search operation by the team of Karnataka and Kerala police.

It is possible that the naxals might have shifted their base to Kerala as intense search operation is going on in Karnataka against them. In addition, police have increased their search for naxals, as a precautionary measure to the visit of Amit Shah, national president of BJP to Dakshina Kannada district. So the Vikram Gowda team might have fled to Kerala.

Visit by IGP

Vipul Kumar, inspector general of police (IGP), southern range, visited the areas on Wednesday, February 21, where the naxals were sighted recently. He has given guidance for the search operation after obtaining details from the police.