Bihar bridge theft: Government officer who reported the incident arrested
What's the story
The shocking case of a recent bridge theft in Bihar's Rohtas district took an unexpected turn on Sunday. The Bihar Police arrested the government officer, reportedly a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the state Water Resources Department, who had actually filed the case. Reportedly, the officer was among the eight persons arrested on Sunday in connection with the theft of an abandoned, 60-foot-long steel-framed bridge.
Context
Why does this story matter?
In a bizarre heist, a gang of thieves stole the nearly five-decade-old bridge in broad daylight, posing as state irrigation department officials. Notably, the place where the theft took place is just about 150km from the state capital, Patna. Reportedly, the thieves arrived with excavators, pick-up vans, gas cutters, and cars and worked for over three days to dismantle the bridge.
Details
Thieves stole the bridge in connivance with the SDO: Police
According to the police, the thieves stole the bridge "in connivance with the SDO." "We have recovered one JCB, stolen iron channels weighing about 247kg, and other [incriminating] material [from the arrested people]," police officer Ashish Bharti told news agency ANI. On the day the "dismantling" began, the SDO allegedly didn't report for duty—saying he was ill—to avoid being linked to the case.
Incident
Villagers assumed government decided to dismantle the bridge
The bridge—built over a water canal—was old and decrepit and had not been in use. A new parallel concrete bridge was reportedly being built over the canal. So, the villagers had assumed the government was dismantling the old bridge. "Only later did the villagers realize the theft and informed the local department officials, who themselves were surprised," a local journalist told The Hindu.
Similar incidents
Similar incidents reported from the district before
In August 2021, authorities seized Rs. 200 crore-worth of stolen sand, which was dumped at various police stations in the Rohtas district. The State Mines Department officials filed three FIRs in this regard, but nothing happened. Similarly, stone chips were stolen from a police station in Rohtas earlier. In this case, too, police failed to catch the thieves, who are reportedly still at large.