Thieves masquerading as government officials have stolen a 60-foot-long, 500-ton iron bridge in a village in Rohtas district of Bihar in India.
The Department of Water Resources has lodged a first information report (FIR) against unidentified persons in this connection, The Hindu reported on Saturday.
Residents of Amiyawar village, who noticed the bridge over the Ara-Sone canal missing on April 5, said it was built around 45 years ago.
“Even three days ago, the structure of the bridge was there but suddenly it disappeared and we informed local officials,” local resident Suresh Kumar told the newspaper.
Officials of the Department of Water Resources visited the site where the theft had taken place and filed an FIR against unknown people at Nasriganj police station.
An inquiry has been ordered, said Nasriganj police station OC Subhash Kumar, adding: “We are investigating how and when the bridge was stolen.”
The villagers said the thieves over several days chipped off parts of the iron bridge by posing as State Irrigation Department officials engaged in dismantling work of the bridge as it had become dilapidated.
The theft might have been carried out by scrap iron smugglers, local journalist Ajit Kumar told The Hindu over phone.
Since they used heavy machinery tools such as earth movers and gas cutters, the villagers might not have doubted their credentials, he added.
It took three days for the thieves to remove the bridge from the site, Ajit said.
