Bengaluru: Vikram Gowda, a Maoist commander who had escaped during the Nilambur encounter in 2016, was killed in an encounter with the police in Karnataka. He was a prominent extremist leader of South India and served as the head of Maoists military operations.  

The encounter took place on Monday in the Seethambilu forest area along the Chikkamagaluru-Udupi border. The operation was led by the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). 

Acting on intelligence about Maoist presence in Seethambilu, the ANF reached the area and conducted a search operation, following which Vikram Gowda and his group were located. While Vikram Gowda was killed, others in the group managed to escape. Those who fled include Mundgaru Latha, Jayanna and Vanajakshi.  

According to the ANF, the group had returned to the Udupi forest area from Kerala two months ago. 

Meanwhile, search operations have been intensified to track down the other leaders of the group.