An official of the Bihar Water Resources Department and seven others were arrested on Sunday in a theft case of a 60-foot-long iron bridge in Rohtas district.
Police said, an assistant engineer of the Water Resources Department posted at Nasriganj, Radhe Shyam Singh, and seven others were arrested in connection with the bridge theft at Amiyawar village under Nasriganj police station of Rohtas district.
The 500-tonne iron bridge, built in 1976 located at Amiyawar village, some 40 km away from district headquarter Sasaram, was stolen on April 5 by thieves who posed themselves as department officials and used heavy machinery like JCB machines, pick-up vans, cylinders and gas cutters to dismantle the bridge and take it away.
Later, when the villages doubted their credentials after the bridge disappeared, they informed the local department officials who filed an FIR on April 6 (No: 45/ 2022) at Nasriganj police station.
The bridge was declared abandoned five years ago after a parallel concrete bridge was constructed 150 feet away from it some 15 years ago.
Rohtas Superintendent of Police Ashish Bharti said that an “SIT (Special Investigative Team) under a Deputy Superintendent of Police has been formed to nab the thieves and crack the case”.
Late on Sunday evening, the police arrested Mr. Singh of Sone Canal Division and seven other persons said to be involved in the theft. Mr. Singh was also officiating as Sub-Divisional Officer of the department.
Mr. Singh had directed the local department official to lodge an FIR to “avoid suspicion”, said the police.
The other arrested persons are Arvind Kumar (a casual worker of the department), Chandan Kumar (a resident of the village Amiyawar), Shivkalyan Bhardwaj (a local politician), scrap dealer Manish Kumar, Sacchidanand Singh, Gopal Kumar and Chandan Kumar of Chand Bigha village.
The police have also recovered 245 quintals of iron scrap of the stolen bridge. “The JCB machine, gas cutting cylinders and the pick-up van used in transporting the dismantled bridge too have been seized”, said Mr. Bharti.
“Raids are being conducted to nab three-four other persons said to be involved in bridge theft case and have been identified, and also to recover remaining iron scraps of the bridge”, the SP added.
