In an unbelievable incident, thieves in the Indian state of Bihar stole a 500-tonne defunct bridge, state police confirmed on Sunday.
Bihar State Police said the thieves are likely to sell off the parts of the bridge as scrap metal.
The robbers, who dismantled the bridge, reportedly posed as state government officials; they used gas cutters and earthmoving machinery to break down an abandoned bridge in Amiyawar village, about 150 kilometres south of the state capital Patna.
Bihar's Stolen Bridge
© Photo : Twitter
Selling scrap metal is a profitable and lucrative business in India, the industry worth is around $12 billion. Globally, the scrap metal industry is worth over $500 billion.
Police said that sketches of the unidentified thieves were being made, and scrap dealers had been alerted.
Taking a dig at the ruling Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance, Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said the thieves were inspired by state chief Nitish Kumar and BJP politicians as they had "stolen" the Bihar government.
This is not the first time such a robbery has taken place. In 2012, thieves stole a bridge in the Czech Republic, claiming they were hired to demolish it. Back in 2004, a 36-foot steel bridge in Ukraine was stolen for scrap metal.