Sunday, November 20 2005 17:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: An Indian driver with the Border Roads Organisation involved in construction of highways in Afghanistan has reportedly been kidnapped along with three co-workers by the Taliban from the Nimroz province.

Maintaining that B R Kutty, a driver with BRO had gone missing since yesterday, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said Afghan agencies are investigating the matter.

"We have seen reports that Taliban have abducted them. If the reports are true, we condem the incident and urge that all persons should be released", he said.

A report from Kandahar quoting the Nimroz provincial Governor Ghulam Dasthaqir had said that suspected Taliban rebels had kidnapped an Indian and three Afghans working on a road construction project between the Southern city of Kandahar and Herat in the West.

The four were kidnapped after being ambushed as they drove in Nimroz late last night, he said. Later a purported spokesman for Taliban, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, rang an international news agency to confirm that the Taliban had kidnapped the four men.