Hyderabad: A 42-year-old kite seller was arrested for allegedly procuring and selling banned Chinese manja in Hyderabad’s Kalapathar area on Saturday, January 10.
Mohd Shazaib from Vatapally was apprehended with 345 nylon threads worth Rs 6.9 lakh at Sadhu Kite Shop near Deccan Bakery.
According to police, Shazaib procured the banned material from Vikram Mehta from Haryana. He was selling the manja at Rs 2,000 per nylon thread.
Police said the seized material included monofil gold synthetic nylon-coated Chinese manja, banned in Telangana.
A case has been registered and further investigatsions are on.
Ahead of the Sankranti festival, the government, in January this year, put a stop to the procurement, stocking and sale of Chinese manja under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Violators would face imprisonment of up to five years, and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.
Hyderabad Commissioner of Police VC Sajjanar has cautioned the public against buying the Chinese Manja, terming it as a “demon that slits throats.”
He said that special teams have been constituted to ensure the strict implementation of the ban. As of January 8, police have arrested 143 people and seized nylon-coated thread worth Rs 1.24 crore, Sajjanar informed.
