DAMAULI: Unidentified people have torched a bus and a truck in separate locations in Tanahun district in the wee hours of Saturday.

Police suspected the Netra Bikram Chand-led Maoist cadres' involvement in both the incidents.

A group of eight to nine persons set fire on the bus (Na 6 Kha 3525), which was parked at Chalise in Rising Rural Municipality-6, at around 2:00 am, according to Superintendent of Police Umesh Raj Joshi.

Brandishing khukuri, the assaulters intimidated the bus driver and his assistant to leave the bus before setting it on fire, Joshi informed.

Later, a truck (Na 3 Kha 9116) was also torched at Belbhanjyang in Bandipur Rural Municipality-1 at around 5:15 am.

The driver was reportedly inside the truck when it was targetted by the arsonists. It was heading to Pokhara from Dumre with sugar.

He, however, escaped to safety breaking off the windscreen, according to Sub-Inspector Manoj Pandey at the DPO.

The assaulters beat the truck driver and his assistant for defying the bandh imposed by the Netra Bikram Chand-led Maoist outfit, police said.