Naxals hijacked a private bus in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and after letting off the passengers abandoned the vehicle near a village there, police said on Friday.
The incident took place late on Thursday night near Mardadand village when a group of Maoists stopped the bus which was on its way from Jagdalpur (Bastar) to Basaguda with 22 passengers. The ultras asked all the passengers to alight the vehicle and then fled away with it, they said.
All the passengers are safe, police said.
The bus was later recovered near the village. Additional police force was rushed to the spot after the driver and conductor informed the bus owner and police about the incident, they said.