PATNA: After an old railway bridge, a 132-foot-tall mobile tower has allegedly been stolen in Bihar.
The bizarre incident was reported from Buxar district, where a 132-ft telecom tower and a 15 KVA generator allegedly disappeared from their location.
The incident occurred in Dumraon and came to light when officials and employees of GTL Infrastructure reached the site to repair the mobile tower, which had reportedly remained non-operational for years.
Residents were surprised to learn that the huge telecom tower, located in the middle of a residential area, had vanished without anyone noticing.
Upon arriving at the location, they were shocked to find that the 132-ft tower was no longer there. Along with the tower, a 15 KVA generator set and other technical equipment installed at the site were also found missing.
Following the discovery, a company representative submitted a written complaint at the Dumraon police station, alleging theft of the tower and associated equipment. Police have since launched an investigation into the matter.
Shubham Arya, SP, Buxar, said a complaint had been received regarding the removal of the tower. “Information about the incident has been received. The matter is being investigated following receipt of the complaint,” he added.
The SP said the landowner and other concerned persons would be questioned. Further legal action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
The landowner, Harenath Yadav, said the company had signed an agreement around 10 years ago.
In 2022, the agreement expired and the company also stopped making payments for the land used to install the tower. “We gave four notices to the company, but there was no response from that side. Now, we have come to know that the tower is missing,” he told the media.
Local residents told police that the tower was installed in the area around 15 years ago. “But it was non-operational for several years. Now we have come to know that the tower is missing,” said local resident Vikas Kumar Singh.
Earlier, a major portion of an abandoned iron railway bridge over the Sone river was stolen from Dehri-on-Sone in Rohtas district.
A 60-foot-long, 500-tonne iron bridge, built during the British era, was stolen by thieves posing as government officials in 2022.
A similar incident occurred in Samastipur district in February 2023, when unidentified thieves allegedly made away with a 2-km-long railway track and its scrap. Though FIRs were registered in both cases, nothing substantial emerged from the police investigations.
