From correspondents in Bihar, India, 07:30 PM IST

Suspected Maoists Saturday hijacked two buses in Gaya district after letting the passengers get off, police said.

The Maoists stopped the two private vehicles near Dumaria and asked the passengers to get down, police said. 'After the passengers got down, they took away the buses,' a police officer said.

Police said they drove the hijacked vehicles to a nearby forest area, considered their stronghold.

Police have launched a search operation to recover the buses.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)