A 70-foot-long steel bridge weighing over 10 tonnes built on a canal more than four decades ago was stolen overnight in Chhattisgarh's Korba city, leaving local residents stunned, police said on Saturday (January 24, 2026).
Investigators found the involvement of 15 persons in the incident, who allegedly cut and stole the structure to sell it as scrap. Five of the accused have been arrested so far, officials said.
On January 18, residents noticed that the steel bridge built over the Hasdeo Left Canal and used as a pedestrian pathway in Ward No. 17 of the Dhodhipara area had gone missing, following which local corporator Laxman Shrivas lodged a complaint, Korba Additional Superintendent of Police Lakhan Patle said.
Preliminary investigation suggested that unidentified accused used gas cutters to cut the iron railings of the structure, he said.
Based on the written complaint received at the CSEB police chowki, a special police team was constituted to probe the matter, he added.
