BIJAPUR: 4 contractor workers have reportedly gone missing from the Bijapur district. As per the complaint filed by the families, the road construction contractors were untraceable from the Gorna area, 4 km from the district HQs within the Kotwali PS limits on Dec 24.
“The families of the missing contractors have not reached out to the police yet, and neither have they lodged a ‘missing person’ complaint with any police station. We believe that the families fear for the safety of the missing persons. but we are continuously tracking them,” inspector general of police (Bastar range) Sunderaj P said.
The missing have been identified as Nimendra Kumar Diwan, Neelchand Nag, Temru Nag, and Chapri Battaiya.
The family members on Monday also released a video, appealing for the release of the contractors. In the video, Soni Sori tribal leader is seen appealing to the Maoists to release them as the families are worried. She also asked the Ultra wing members to help them find the missing workers if they did not abduct them. According to police officials, it is speculated that the Naxals might have abducted them.
It is worth mentioning that it has become a common practice of the Maoists to abduct construction contractors deployed for projects in the Naxal-dominated areas.