Ahead of the Sankranti festival, Hyderabad Police intensified their special drive against Chinese manja and seized contraband worth Rs 43 lakh during the last four days.
The police have stepped up enforcement against the banned Chinese manja (synthetic/nylon kite string) to curb its sale, storage, and transportation in the city.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said on Monday that the special drive is underway across the city. From January 8 to January 11, the police have seized 2,150 bobbins worth Rs 43 lakh.
The top cop posted on ‘X’ that police registered 29 cases against those involved in the sale and arrested 57 people.
The Commissioner said that the banned manja poses a threat to the environment, birds, and human lives.
During the last month, police registered 132 cases and seized 8,376 bobbins worth Rs 1.68 crore. A total of 200 people have been arrested.
Sajjanar said that jail is inevitable for those selling or buying the banned manja. Use safe threads and celebrate the Sankranti festival joyfully, he said.
“The kite should soar in the sky not in innocent lives! The Chinese manja thread doesn't break but it severs human necks, bird wings. Your fleeting joy should not become an inconsolable sorrow in someone else's home. Selling or using banned Chinese manja will invite strict action, without fail. Celebrate the festival as a festival. Not by taking lives,” he said in another post.
The Chinese Manja has left six motorcyclists, including a constable and a student, injured during the last few days. They sustained grievous neck injuries
In the latest incident, a 33-year-old man suffered a deep cut on his shoulder due to Chinese manja while travelling on a bike in Gachibowli on Sunday.
K. Surya Teja, who works in a software company, was injured while travelling on the SLN Terminal flyover. He was rushed to a hospital, where he underwent the procedure to suture the wound.
© 2026 IANS. All rights reserved.