Belthangady: Shishila in Belthangady is in the news after Naxals were said to be spotted in an SC colony in the village close by the forest range. It is learnt, the armed Naxals including two women have visited a house in the colony with a promise that they will return.

Meanwhile, on gathering information senior police and ANF officials have visited the spot. There has been rigorous combing operations but the Naxals are nowhere in sight.

According to reports, one Aravind, son of Mucchiradka Charumba Mugera, a resident of the colony who had been to the nearby stream to wash clothes came across the Naxals who followed him to his house on Tuesday.

The arrival of the police personnel to the village has in a way panicked the villagers who were seen meeting in groups. ASP of Puttur Anucheth even held a meeting in the premises of the Gram Panchayat and urged villages not to support Naxals.

Aravind who spoke on his experiences said he was terrified and rushed home for the Naxals to follow him. There is a suspicion that the Naxals visited the village as several parts of it are still deprived of basic amenities.

The meeting convened at the GP office premises was attended among others by Dhanalakshmi Janardhan, ZP Vice President, Balakrishna Banajalu, ZP member. Later in the day, even Prathap Reddy, IGP (western range), visited Shishila.