Indian police hunt for thieves who stole 500-tonne iron bridge
Villagers believed men were government officials
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Indian police are looking for members of a gang who posed as officials from the government’s irrigation department to dismantle a 60ft-long, 500-tonne iron bridge and most likely sold it off in parts as scrap.
The group of thieves used gas cutters and earthmoving machinery to break down an abandoned bridge in Amiyawar village, about 150km from Patna in eastern India.
Villagers had reportedly earlier requested the irrigation department to take apart the bridge, built over a canal almost 45 years ago, as it was no longer being used.
And so, they believed the men were government officials who had come to cater to their request.
Gandhi Chaudhary, 29, a villager, told Reuters: “People came with heavy machinery, gas cutters and worked for two days during the day to dismantle the bridge.”
Earlier this week, the scrap metal from the bridge was loaded into a truck and taken away.
“We have identified some members of the gang and some are yet to be tracked down. They destroyed public property and stole a bridge,” Subash Kumar, a police official said.
“An inquiry has been ordered and we are investigating how and when the bridge was stolen.”
Locals filed a police complaint on 8 April.
“Even three days ago, the structure of the bridge was there but suddenly it disappeared and we informed local officials,” Suresh Kumar, a villager from Amiyawar, told The Hindu.
It took three days for the thieves to dismantle the bridge and take the scrap away. Only when the villagers realised that the men were not from the department and had left without a word, did they realise that this may have been a scam.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments