Korba: In a bizarre incident, a 60-foot-long iron bridge was reportedly stolen from the heart of Korba city in Chhattisgarh overnight.
The bridge, spanning Hasdeo Left Bank Canal, went missing between 11 pm and dawn, authorities said. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to trace the missing bridge and nab those involved.
As per a report by Zee News, the bridge, in Ward Number 17 had been serving as a vital link for locals for more than 40 years. Constructed with heavy iron girders and thick metal plates, the 60-foot-long and five feet wide structure was intact till 11 pm, locals reported, with many of them using it to return home.
They were in for a rude shock in the morning. There was a wide gap where the bridge had stood till a few hours ago. Local councilor Lakshman Shrivas informed district collector Kunal Dudawat and SP Siddharth Tiwari immediately, after which an FIR was registered.
Authorities said that there were obvious marks of a professional attack at the scene. Gas cutter marks were found on the stumps of the bridge structure on both ends of the canal. It was obviously a heist to grab the large quantity of metal.
The estimated weight of the bridge was 25-30 tonnes. Its value in the illegal scrap market would be around Rs 15 lakh.
It is being suspected that an organised gang used heavy machinery and industrial cutting tools to cut the bridge into pieces, before moving them in trucks.
While the thieves were dismantling the bridge, they also severed the iron security cover enclosing the city’s major water pipe. While the protective shield was stolen, the pipeline remained undamaged. Had the water pipeline been drilled into, over 2.5 lakh residents of Korba would have faced a severe water shortage.
The case has left authorities with suggestions that an organised “scrap mafia” was operating under their noses all the while.
