Vikram Gowda (46) was killed in an alleged exchange of fire between the ANF and a group of Maoists near Peetebailu village in Kabbinale area near Hebri of Udupi district.

More than 20 teams of Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) and local police on Wednesday continued to hunt for the associates of slain Maoist Vikram Gowda in the thick forest

Vikram Gowda, a key Naxal leader who had been absconding for over two decades, was shot dead during an encounter with the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) in the Western Ghats on Monday. The incident occurred during a police operation to apprehend Naxal operatives in the region.

In first such operation in the southern state in 13 years, the ANF of the Karnataka police gunned down senior Maoist leader Vikram Gowda during an encounter in the Kabbinale forests of Udupi district

Vikram Gowda, killed in an alleged encounter with the Anti Naxal Force (ANF) commandos late on Monday night, was a class 4 dropout from the tribal Malekudiya community, who grew to be a prominent Maoist leader.