Haridwar, July 21 -- Two sadhus living in Haridwar's Pathreshwar Mahadev temple in the Pathri area were allegedly murdered, and their bodies were later found buried in a pit in a nearby forest, police said on Tuesday.

The two were identified as Sewa Giri and Uttam Giri by the police after they were alerted of their disappearance since Monday by temple staff.

A search operation led by Pathri police station in-charge Rabindra Singh was launched late Monday night.

"Police teams spotted a portion of land that appeared to have been dug up in a nearby forest area, following which the bodies of the two monks were recovered," superintendent of rural police, Shekhar Chandra Suyal said.

A forensic team was also called to the scene to collect th...