Chhattisgarh: 70-foot steel bridge stolen overnight in Korba, five arrested

A 70-foot-long steel bridge weighing over 10 tonnes and built more than four decades ago over a canal in Chhattisgarh’s Korba city was stolen overnight, leaving local residents shocked, police said on Saturday. Investigators have identified the involvement of 15 people in the theft, with five arrested so far.

Residents noticed on January 18 that the steel bridge over the Hasdeo Left Canal, used as a pedestrian pathway in Ward No. 17 of the Dhodhipara area, had gone missing. Following this, local corporator Laxman Shrivas lodged a complaint, Korba Additional Superintendent of Police Lakhan Patle said.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the accused used gas cutters to cut the iron railings and dismantle the structure. Based on the written complaint received at the CSEB police chowki, a special police team was formed to investigate the case.


Through technical analysis, informer inputs and sustained investigation, police identified 15 accused. Five of them — Lochan Kevat (20), Jaysingh Rajput (23), Moti Prajapati (27), Sumit Sahu (19) and Keshavpuri Goswami alias Picture (22), all residents of the CSEB police chowki area — have been arrested, Patle told PTI.

Police said efforts are underway to trace the remaining 10 accused, including the alleged kingpins Mukesh Sahu and Aslam Khan, who are currently absconding. During interrogation, the arrested accused confessed to stealing the bridge to sell the iron as scrap, officials said, adding that further investigation is ongoing.

CSEB police chowki in-charge Bhimsen Yadav said around seven tonnes of steel hidden inside the canal had been seized, along with the vehicle used to transport the stolen material. Police are probing where the remaining steel was sold, he said.

Speaking to PTI, corporator Shrivas said the bridge, about 70 feet long and five feet wide, was built nearly 40 years ago and weighed over 10 tonnes. He added that since the theft, residents have been using a nearby concrete bridge to cross the canal.

(With inputs from PTI)