Bunty & Bubbly-style heist? Gang poses as government officials, ‘steals’ 60-feet-long iron bridge in India

In India, police are currently making concerted efforts to nab members of a gang accused of stealing a bridge. Yes, you read it right.  

The gang had dismantled a 60-feet-long iron bridge and sold its parts as scrap metal, a Reuters report said citing officials on Sunday.  

The incident, which has happened in Amiyawar village of Bihar state, has raised several eyebrows.   

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Posing as government officials of the irrigation department, the robbers used gas cutters and earthmoving machinery to bring down an abandoned bridge.    

Earlier, villagers had asked the irrigation department to dismantle the bridge by submitting an application, a resident said.  

This bridge was old and built over a water canal around three decades ago. It was not in use. The residents of Amiyawar assumed that the government officials have decided to dismantle it, a police officer told Reuters.   

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When the locals asked the robbers about their identity. They replied that they have been hired by the irrigation department. "People came with heavy machinery, gas cutters and worked for two days during the day time to dismantle the bridge," Gandhi Chaudhary, a villager, told Reuters.  

"We have identified some members of the gang and some are yet to be tracked down. They destroyed public property and stolen a bridge," Subash Kumar, a police officer, who is carrying out investigation in the case, told Reuters.  

After the bridge was taken down, the scrap metal was loaded onto a vehicle. The site was finally vacated.  

(With inputs from agencies)