There at night, gone by morning: Small iron bridge stolen in CG’s Korba

Raipur: A small iron bridge over the Hasdeo canal—used by residents even till late evening on January 16—was found ‘missing' the next morning in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, after a gang allegedly sliced the structure with gas cutters and carted it away in an operation that the police said involved at least 15 suspects.Further, according to law enforcers, the main accused, who is a scrap dealer and allegedly runs an organised racket, is at large besides nine others. It is learnt that the administration is preparing to issue an externment notice against the main accused for being a habitual offender. The bridge had been serving residents of ward number 17 for nearly 40 years. Locals said the structure, about five feet wide, was intact till about 11 pm on January 16, with residents using it to return home. By morning, however, there was no trace of it.The matter came to light after residents alerted local councillor Laxman Shrivas, who rushed to the spot and confirmed that the bridge was missing. He subsequently submitted written complaints to collector Kunal Dudawat and SP Siddharth Tiwari, following which a formal report was registered at the CSEB police outpost.The incident briefly triggered panic within the police and civic administration, even as Korba police constituted a special investigation team (SIT) and launched searches at suspected scrap yards, followed by arrest of five persons. At the site, the police team found some sliced-off portions of the bridge left behind, suggesting the job was done in haste.Police said the investigation was ongoing and strict action would follow against those involved.Korba SP Siddharth Tiwari told TOI that acting on a written complaint lodged at the CSEB police outpost, police registered a case for theft and damage to public property. Preliminary inspection revealed gas-cutter marks, indicating the bridge had been sliced bit by bit and removed systematically. SP added that the alleged main accused was identified as Mukesh Sahu alias ‘Barbatti', a scrap dealer, and is believed to be absconding. Residents alleged that the theft was the handiwork of an organised scrap mafia. Adding to their concern, thieves also allegedly cut and removed heavy iron guards installed to protect a municipal drinking water pipeline laid across the canal. Officials said the pipeline itself was not damaged, averting a potential water crisis for over 2.5 lakh residents.According to information, Mukesh Sahu's business had earlier faced action, including a central GST penalty of about Rs 1 crore.