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When Theft Gets Too Ambitious

Some criminals aim high—too high. From stealing an entire bridge to making off with massive amounts of cheese, these stories prove that some thieves have a little too much confidence in their schemes.

The Case of the Missing Bridge

In a plot that sounds straight out of a cartoon, a group of thieves in Bihar, India, managed to steal a 500-tonne iron bridge—piece by piece. Posing as government workers from the irrigation department, they used gas cutters and heavy machinery to dismantle the 60-foot-long bridge over the course of a few days. Villagers, believing it was an authorized operation, watched as the scrap metal was loaded into trucks and taken away. It wasn’t until the bridge was completely gone that locals realized something was amiss and alerted the authorities. citeturn0search14

Forklifting an ATM

Most bank robbers go for cash, but some think bigger—like the entire ATM. In Sacramento, California, surveillance footage captured a thief using a forklift to pry an ATM from its foundation. The suspect then loaded the machine into a pickup truck and attempted a getaway. However, the plan quickly unraveled when the ATM fell out of the truck onto the road, causing an unrelated crash. The suspect fled the scene and remains at large. citeturn0search15

The Great Canadian Cheese Caper

You’d think banks or jewelry stores would be the most tempting targets, but in Canada, cheese is apparently just as valuable. In 2019, thieves made off with $187,000 worth of cheese from Saputo Dairy Products in Tavistock, Ontario. The heist involved fraudulent paperwork to claim a shipment of cheese originally bound for New Brunswick. The cheese never reached its destination, and authorities are still on the hunt for the culprits. citeturn0search19

Some criminals have big dreams, but as these stories show, ambition doesn’t always lead to success.