Two men stole a bridge in southwest Poland and sold it for scrap, Wroclaw region police said on Monday.
The bridge, used by a local mine, was sawn up into several sections and taken to a scrap metal recycling point in a truck.
The thieves were apprehended by accident. They were making the last “run” when their truck broke down.
Mine security officers spotted a suspicious truck standing by the roadside and called the police.
It was not entirely clear how they had failed to spot the bridge dismantling operation.
The thieves are looking at up to five years in prison is convicted.