Hyderabad police may raid e-commerce warehouses to seize Chinese Manjha

by IANS | Wed, Jan 15, 2025, 11:03 AM

Hyderabad, Jan (IANS) Hyderabad police are likely to raid e-commerce storage warehouses to tackle the menace of Chinese Manjha.

Voicing concern over online availability of the deadly string, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C. V. Anand said on Tuesday that they may raid e-commerce storage houses and call them for a meeting.

"The real reason for the availability of the so-called Chinese Manjha, but which is made by Indians in India, is e-commerce and anyone can order it online. So, we may have to raid the e-commerce storage houses and call them for a meeting on this! Just see to what extent one has to go - will people not do anything voluntarily if it is dangerous !?,” the Police Commissioner posted on X while reacting to a media report about the easy availability of Chinese Manjha over online sites.

The police on Monday announced that they apprehended 148 persons indulging in illegal business of prohibited Chinese Manjha, a synthetic nylon 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 were 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 Manja 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. It poses a threat to human safety, a hazard to birds and animals and also has environmental impact.

There were previous incidents of deaths due to the use of Chinese Manjha for kites.

Last year, a soldier was killed after his throat was slit by Chinese Manjha in Hyderabad. Naik Kagithala Koteswar Reddy, 30, died as Chinese Manjha slit his throat when he was riding a scooty on the Indira Reddy Flyover. he was a native of Pedda Valteru in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.