New Delhi: Believe it or not but a gang of thieves in Bihar’s Rohtas district ‘stole’ a defunct 60-foot-long steel bridge Friday by pretending to be officials from the state’s irrigation department.
The thieves reportedly came prepared with bulldozers, pickup vans and gas cutters and dismantled the 500 tonne bridge with the help of local irrigation department officials and residents. The entire operation took about three days and they escaped with the scrap metals.
An FIR was lodged at the Nasirganj police station by irrigation officials after they realised that they were being duped.
“Villagers informed some people pretending to be mechanical department officials to uproot the bridge using machines like JCB and gas-cutters. We’ve filed the FIR,” said junior engineer, irrigation department, Arshad Kamal Shamshi.
Bihar |60-feet long-abandoned steel bridge stolen by thieves in Rohtas district
Villagers informed some people pretending as mechanical dept officials uprooted bridge using machines like JCB & gas-cutters. We've filed the FIR:Arshad Kamal Shamshi, Junior Engineer,Irrigation dept pic.twitter.com/o4ZWVDkWie
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2022
Subhash Kumar, SHO of Nasriganj police station, was quoted as saying that sketches of the unidentified thieves were being made and scrap dealers had been alerted.
The steel bridge was built over the Arrah canal in the state’s Amiyawar village around 1972 but it became defunct after it was declared dangerous and locals started taking a nearby concrete bridge.
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 epic a title it would be for a new Netflix series.
This should inspire the making of an epic new series for Netflix :
Bihar Bridge Heist ? https://t.co/QsY2Iit5pZ
— The Cheshire Cat (@C90284166) April 9, 2022
Some recalled the good old days of Lalu Prasad’s government when there used to be “virtual bridges”, while comparing it with Nitish Kumar’s government where “physical bridges” were getting stolen.
In Lalu Yadav's time we had Virtual bridges. Never constructed, said to be washed away during monsoons. Expenses shown each time. In Nitish Babu's time, a Physical bridge is actually stolen .60 feet, 500 tonne steel. Virtual or Physical, Bihar has changed little.
— Avinash Shishoo (@laidback1954) April 9, 2022
Others had a laugh at the expense of Biharis and what their “idle” activities looked like.
Bihari friend: What distraction do you have for your idle moments?
Me: I have chess. What about you?
Bihari friend: I have bridge.https://t.co/GOJt3fDVH2
— Amit Varma (@amitvarma) April 9, 2022
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav took a dig at the government over the incident. He said the thieves were inspired by CM Kumar and BJP leaders as they had “stolen” the Bihar government.
Yadav was referring to Kumar’s JD(U) forming a government with BJP in the state after severing ties with the RJD in 2017.
Also read: Youngsters suggest ways to preserve built heritage of Bihar