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Railways, said the thieves also stole some 200 metres of railway track.
A police patrol stopped during the stealing of the bridge, but the thieves showed them forged documents, which stated an alleged agreement with the country’s railways service to dismantle the old bridge, he added.
A spokeswoman for the police in Karlovy Vary said the total damage caused by the dismantled bridge and railway track, which were allegedly stolen for the scrap metal, could total some 120 000 Czech kronas (over US$6 000), while Halla puts the figure at millions.
In July 2008, police foiled an attempt by scrap metal thieves to steal an eight-tonne pontoon-bridge in Russia’s central Penza Region.
The bridge was dismantled and loaded onto a truck which was later stopped by police en route to Penza. The driver said he had been promised 8 000 rubles (US$340) to deliver the bridge.
High global prices for metal have led to an explosion in scrap metal thefts in Russia and across the world.
The Penza Region was also hit in 2007, when another bridge was stolen by daring thieves.
Although the offenders were eventually traced, the authorities were forced to replace the bridge as the metal structure had already been melted down for scrap. — RIA Novosti.
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