Hyderabad: In a continued offensive against the banned Chinese manja, a special team from the Hyderabad Central Crime Station has arrested five individuals involved in the illegal trade of the synthetic string. During the operation, officials seized 155 bobbins of “Monofil Gold” Chinese manja from the possession of the accused.

The arrested persons have been identified as Kandesh Pawan Kumar (43), Rohit Agarwal (35), B Nikhil (19), Mohd Moin Mallick (26), and Abdul Kareem (24).

Authorities have issued a strong advisory to citizens to avoid using Chinese manja, noting that the glass-coated synthetic string poses a lethal threat to both humans and birds. Manja sellers have also been warned that the Hyderabad City Police are maintaining strict, swift surveillance over all persons involved in the clandestine sale of the banned material.

With the Sankranti festival approaching, enforcement has been significantly intensified to curb the sale, storage, and transportation of the string. To date, the city police have booked 103 cases, arrested 143 individuals, and confiscated over 6,200 bobbins of manja with an estimated market value of Rs 1.24 crore.

On Thursday, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar reiterated that the government has imposed a total ban on Chinese manja due to the severe environmental and safety risks it entails. “Despite the ban, illegal sales are being carried out clandestinely. There will be zero tolerance. Anyone found selling, storing, or transporting Chinese manja will face immediate criminal action. Special teams have been deployed across the city to enforce this,” the Commissioner stated.