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Patna: An entire pond was stolen by certain notorious elements in Bihar's Darbhanga district recently, leaving the residents shocked in the region, reported several publications.
The locals stated that an entire pond had gone missing and a hut was built over it. The land mafia who are accused of filling the pond allegedly fled the spot by the time cops arrived.
While the pond was well maintained and publicly-owned, the mafia had set their eyes on the water body because of the rising prices of land in the district.
The residents had alarmed the police officials about the pond filling after which zonal authorities conducted a recce and had stopped the works. However, the mafia continued the filling activity until the pond was no longer existed.
"People say the pond was filled with soil within 10-15 days. The work was done only at night. Officials had visited the spot earlier and even seized some items," Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Amit Kumar stated.
Another bizarre incident occured last year when a 60-foot long steel bridge was dismantled and stolen by a group of individuals who claimed to be government officials in Bihar's Sasaram district. The bridge, weighing 500 tons, was built over the Arrah canal in Amiyawar village in Nasriganj police station area in 1972.
Thefts in Bihar have been making headlines for some time now. In another such incident, a diesel engine was stolen from the railway yard in Begusarai.
The thieves apparently dug a hole underground, and stole the parts of the engine. The yard personnel witnessed the engine that arrived for repairs, was missing, and filed a complaint.