Impossible to remove Padma Bridge's screws by hand, says CID

The Criminal Investigation Department says Bayezid Talha, who was arrested for removing nuts from bolts of the Padma Bridge railings, committed an act of sabotage as it would not have been possible to pluck out the screws with bare hands.

The 30-year old Bayezid from Dhaka’s Shantinagar was apprehended after he uploaded a video of himself with the nuts and bolts on social media. The video went viral, reports bdnews24.com.

"Even though standing or taking pictures on the Padma Bridge is prohibited, the young man took advantage of the leniency on the first day to remove the nuts with malicious intent," said Rezaul Masud, special police superintendent of the CID's Cyber Intelligence and Risk Management Department on Monday.

A case has been started against Bayezid with the Padma South Police Station under the Special Powers Act. CID will be in charge of the investigation.

"If there were any defects in the work [on Padma Bridge], it should have been reported to the bridge authorities, police or other law enforcement agencies."

Bayezid hurt "people's emotions" by uploading the video on social media, according to Rezaul. "This seems like a bigger crime to us."

The CID official believes tools were used to unscrew the nuts from the bolts.

“We have spoken to the bridge authority. They said it isn't possible to remove them by hand. So it's obvious that an instrument was used."

The incident had occurred between 7 pm and 10:30 pm on Sunday, he added.

Asked about Bayezid's political affiliations, Rezaul said, "We are starting to learn about his past. We are looking at the criminal elements without going into politics.”