CHIKKAMAGALURU : Naxal activities have reappeared in Koppa and Sringeri taluks after a gap of 13 years, triggering panic among the people of Malnad region.
The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) has launched combing operations in Koppa and Sringeri taluks. Security has been beefed up in many places in the region.
Based on reports that six armed strangers were spotted in remote villages near the forests in Sringeri taluk, the ANF began its combing operations.
Two suspects have been taken into custody and are being interrogated, according to sources. During one such operation, an ANF squad, based on a tip off, raided the house of Subbe Gowda at Kadegundi village in Koppa taluk, where the naxals reportedly cooked food and ate it. The squad found three single-barrel guns and some cartridges.
Naxal teams led by Mundagaru Latha and Jayanna, also known as John, might have visited the house, the sources said. The sources said the ANF members questioned Subbe Gowda in this regard. A case has been registered at Jayapura police station as weapons were recovered during the operation.
Western Zone IGP Amit Singh and CID ADGP Pranab Mohanty visited the village.Combing operations are being conducted under the guidance of ANF SP Jitendrakumar Dahima, Western Zone IGP Amit Singh and Chikkamagaluru SP Dr Vikram Amathe.