Hyderabad, Jan 13: Hyderabad police have apprehended 148 persons indulging in illegal business of prohibited Chinese Manjha, a synthetic nylon kite string coated with abrasive materials like powdered glass or metal which poses significant risks to public safety, wildlife and the environment.
As many as 107 cases have been booked at various police stations in the city since October 2024. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commissioner’s Task Force, Y.V.S. Sudeendra said 7,334 Chinese Manjha bobbins worth around Rs 90 lakh have been seized during the raids.
The official said despite bans in several regions, the availability and use of Chinese Manjha during kite festivals and other events continue to raise serious concerns. There were previous incidents of death of a person due to the use of Chinese Manjha for kites.
It poses a threat to human safety, a hazard to birds and animals and also has an environmental impact. Last year, an Army man was killed after his throat was slit by Chinese Manjha in Hyderabad.
Kagithala Koteswar Reddy, 30, a Naik, died as Chinese Manjha slit his throat when he was riding a scooty on Indira Reddy Flyover in Langer House. Koteswar Reddy was a native of Pedda Valteru in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
The Forest Department claimed to have taken various measures to implement the ban on the use of Chinese Manjha in Kite flying during the Sankranti festival. The state government had issued orders in 2016 imposing a total ban on manjha to save birds as well as for the safety of humans.
The Environment, Forests, Science and Technology department had issued orders imposing a ban on procuring, stocking, sale, and use of manjha. Keeping in view of the past experiences and incidents, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand had alerted all the Task Force teams and law and order officers well in advance.
Seven Task Force teams headed by DCP Sudeendra, and Additional DCP Ande Srinivasa Rao, along with SHOs of several police stations, conducted several raids and booked 107 cases in which they apprehended 148 accused persons.
“As a result, the availability of Chinese Manjha is significantly reduced, almost nil. Till now no harmful incidents threatening human and animal life are reported which were taken place in the past,” the DCP said. According to officials, local dealers are overjoyed with the increase in the sale of thread manjha due to the non-availability of Chinese Manjha.
IANS