In a bizarre incident reported from Bihar, locals posed as irrigation department officers to steal an entire 60ft, 500 tonne iron bridge. Surprisingly enough, the gang of thieves even took help of unsuspecting locals and the real Irrigation Department officials for the removal of the iron bridge.
According to reports, the bridge was built in 1972 on the Arrah Canal, making it about 50 years old. Reportedly the bridge wasn’t being made use of since quite some time and had been in a dilapidated condition for the most part. Even the locals had applied for the bridge’s removal as it was not coming of any use.
The thieves reportedly dismantled and uprooted the entire bridge with the help of gas cutters and bulldozers in broad daylight. After the villagers and the irrigation department realized that they were duped, a complaint was filed at the police station. Meanwhile, the local police have alerted local scrap dealers to pass along any information regarding the matter if they receive any.
It should be noted that this is not an isolated incident. Earlier in 2020, an entire bus stop was allegedly stolen in Pune, Maharashtra.
The Facts of the Matter
The name Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava sounds like the name of an Indian man that sees no evil, does no evil and hears no evil. But his alias – Mr. Natwarlal, will remind our readers of a con artist that went as far as being called the conman of India.
Mr. Natwarlal reportedly posed as government officer at various designations and went on to sell the Taj Mahal, THRICE. He was also reported to have sold the Parliament house and Member of Parliaments were roped in for the deal.
Recently, a gang of thieves took inspiration from Mr. Natwarlal and went on to steal an entire bridge in Bihar.
Thieves Pretending to be Officers Take Real Officers’ Help
The incident was reported from Rohtas district, Bihar. According to an IANS report, the gang of thieves posed as officers of irrigation department and unsuspecting local officials and villagers were roped in for the execution of the theft.
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
Hilariously enough, the bunch of thieves who posed as irrigation officers took help of the real local irrigation department officers themselves for the dismantling and removal of the bridge. The thieves also took help of unwitting locals.
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Thieves Took 3 Days to Execute Robbery
Reportedly, it took the entire robbery as many as three days to be executed. The thieves posing as officials made use of gas cutters and even earthmovers to dismantle the already dilapidated bridge. After the bridge was uprooted and dismantled, the thieves took the scrap metal away.
According to an ABPlive report, the bridge was 50 years old and was constructed back in 1972 over the Arrah canal in Amiyawar village. The bridge had gotten old and had been rotting away. It was also declared dangerous by locals and the locals had further appealed for the removal of the bridge.
Locals Realize Being Duped, Complaint Filed
After the thieves fled the scene with their heavy loot, the locals and officers realized that they had been duped. Soon, a police complaint was filed regarding the matter. An IANS report quoted the Nasirganj SHO Subhash Kumar saying, “We have received a complaint from the officials of the Irrigation Department. Accordingly, we have registered an FIR against unknown persons.”
“The process of making sketches of the accused is underway to identify them. We have also alerted scrap dealers to pass the information about any such materials to their knowledge. The bridge was 60 feet long and 12 feet high,” he added.
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Similar Incidence was Reported from Pune
While the case seems strange and one-in-a-million, it should be noted that a similar incident was reported earlier in 2020. In August, 2020, locals in Pune, Maharashtra were shocked to see a banner which sought inputs about an alleged theft of an entire stolen bus stop. The banner also stated that any credible information would receive an award of Rs. 5,000.
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