A gang of thieves in Bihar’s Rohtas district ‘stole’ a 60-foot-long steel bridge that was built over the Arrah canal in Bihar's Rohtas dist’s Amiyawar village around 1972. But later it was declared dangerous and locals started taking a nearby concrete bridge. So this steel bridge was not being used. The villagers had submitted an application to the irrigation department which was responsible for dismantling the bridge on 5th April. Some people came to the bridge. The villagers asked them who they were. They said that they were state irrigation department officials. Villagers thought that they had come based on their letter. The workers used in gas cutters and earthmover machines to demolish the bridge. They were actually thiefs or scrap iron smugglers. The entire operation took 3 days and they escaped with the scrap metal. 

Later somehow the villagers had some doubts and informed the local department officials, who themselves were surprised. Arshad Kamal Shamshi, a junior engineer of the irrigation department said, "Villagers informed that some people, posing as the officials of the irrigation department, came to the bridge and uprooted it entirely. He said the sudden disappearance of the 60 feet long and 12 feet high bridge has shocked everyone. Realizing that they had been fooled, officials lodged a case against the thieves at Nasriganj police station.   A police officer said that some of the members of the gang have been identified and some are yet to be tracked down. They destroyed public property and stole a bridge. They would be soon arrested.  

Selling metal scrap is a lucrative business in India. So such cases of theft of metal parts from public property to sell in large scrap yards for quick cash are common. As news about the theft spread, social media users reacted by calling it an “unbelievable heist”. One Twitter user termed it as the “Bihar bridge heist” and stated how this would be a title for a new Netflix series.

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• Bizarre

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