Delhi: Over 12,000 reels of Chinese ‘manjha’ seized, 3 arrested, says Police

The Delhi Police have seized over 12,000 reels of Chinese ‘manjha’ in multiple operations throughout the city, leading to the arrest of three individuals, according to police said on Friday.

Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Shalini Singh said, “The central range and cyber cell teams of the crime branch apprehended three suspects and confiscated a total of 12,143 reels of Chinese manjha, or glass-coated synthetic kite string, from them.”

In the first operation, police arrested Prem Chand, 40, following a tip-off, the officer said. “The team was informed about a man stockpiling a large quantity of Chinese manjha in Sector-7, Rohini. Acting on this input, a trap was set in the Rohini area. During the operation, a warehouse was raided, leading to the recovery of 11,820 reels of Chinese manjha. Further investigations led to the arrest of another man, Adnan, from whom 23 reels were also seized,” the special commissioner explained.

The second operation in Daryaganj resulted in the arrest of Mohammad Akib, with 240 reels of Chinese manjha found in his possession.

“In a similar operation, a team arrested Asjad in Azad Market and seized 60 reels from him,” the officer stated.

Providing more details about the accused, Singh mentioned that Prem Chand is from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, and owns a kite and stationery shop in Rohini Sector 7. Asjad, on the other hand, is a college student and also works as a website designer.

The officer added, “Efforts are underway to identify the source of the illicit manjha.”

On August 2, the Delhi Police reported that 79 individuals had been arrested for selling Chinese manjha, with 78 FIRs filed. A senior police officer emphasized, “There are strict directives to file FIRs and arrest those involved in selling Chinese manjha, which is entirely banned in the national capital.”

Last year, on July 20, a seven-year-old girl tragically died after her throat was allegedly cut by a Chinese manjha in West Delhi’s Pashchim Vihar area while riding a motorcycle with her father.

The use of Chinese manjha was banned in Delhi in 2017, and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a similar ban on nylon or synthetic threads used for kite flying. These bans aim to prevent harm to humans, birds, other animals, and the environment, the officer noted.

A senior police officer added, “Only kites flown with cotton thread free of any other materials are allowed”.

In February of the previous year, the Delhi High Court instructed the city’s Crime Branch to investigate the manufacturing, sale, purchase, and storage of Chinese synthetic manjha in markets and shops across the capital following numerous incidents involving the material.(With the from PTI)