SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) ? In what could qualify for Ripley's Believe It or Not, seven thieves stole an entire 13-metre bridge near the southern Bosnian town of Mostar, police said today.
Over several days, the group dismantled the metal bridge built during the Austro-Hungarian empire 150 years ago, transported the parts to a local junk yard and sold them, a police statement said.
While it all happened in a remote mountainous region, local villagers saw the thieves loading parts of the bridge into vans and alerted police last Friday. The seven men were arrested and are being held pending a decision by a prosecutor.
Without disclosing their names, police said the Gypsies, or Roma, sold the metal parts for 280 Konvertible Marks ($220 Cdn).
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Over several days, the group dismantled the metal bridge built during the Austro-Hungarian empire 150 years ago, transported the parts to a local junk yard and sold them, a police statement said.
While it all happened in a remote mountainous region, local villagers saw the thieves loading parts of the bridge into vans and alerted police last Friday. The seven men were arrested and are being held pending a decision by a prosecutor.
Without disclosing their names, police said the Gypsies, or Roma, sold the metal parts for 280 Konvertible Marks ($220 Cdn).
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1093601970130&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037