Crafty scrap metal thieves have dismantled a disused 500-tonne bridge in India, posing as irrigation officials to locals, before leaving with their loot, police said on Saturday (April 9th).
The theft was reported Wednesday in the state of Bihar, one of the poorest in the country, in northeastern India. Police told AFP that the thieves posed as government irrigation officials.
They brought in bulldozers and blowtorches, and dismantled the 18-meter iron bridge in two days, before fleeing with the spoils. “They took the scrap metal away in a heavy vehicle,” police added.
The 50-year-old structure had been a target of thieves since another bridge opened nearby five years ago. Police have opened an investigation, but no arrests have been made so far.