The Karnataka government in India has come to know that Sri Lankan nationals have joined hands with a small group of Maoists operating in forests of Western Ghats, state Home Minister R Ashok said on Monday.

"..We have come to understand that some Sri Lankan nationals, along with a group from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, have joined hands with 25-30 Maoists operating in Chikamagalur, Udupi, Shimoga and Dakshina Kannada," he said in the Legislative Council.
 

The suspected presence of Sri Lankan nationals in Western Ghats came to light after Anti-Naxal Force seized weapons and other material from Maoists in recent encounters, Ashok said replying to a question by Ashwath Narayana (Cong). (PTI)