Bijapur, Feb 11 (PTI) An engineer and a worker of a private construction company building a river bridge in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district were abducted by Naxals on Friday, a senior official said.

Also Read | Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Address Rally in Khatima, Haldwani, and Srinagar on February 13.

As per preliminary information, engineer Ashok Pawar (38) and worker Anand Yadav (27), natives of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, were taken hostage by Naxals from the construction site near Bedre-Nugur villages at around 1 pm, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.

Also Read | Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami To Take On Old Rival Bhuwan Chandra Kapri in Khatima; Here Are Key Electoral Battles To Watch Out for in Vidhan Sabha Polls.

"The bridge is being built on Indravati river by a private construction firm. Efforts are on to trace their whereabouts in the area, which is considered a Maoist stronghold," he added.

In November last year, Naxals had abducted a sub-engineer and a peon working on a Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) project in Bijapur. While the peon was released two days later, the sub engineer was freed after being held captive for five days.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)