Banned Chinese manja now sold online despite police raids
Illegal Chinese manja sold on social media continues to threaten public safety amid Sankranti festivities
Hyderabad: Following the police raids on kite shops in the city, the dangerous and banned Chinese manja has found its way online. Local traders are now offering this banned manja, with numerous advertisements appearing on platforms like Facebook and OLX promoting the sale of this prohibited synthetic thread.
Alarmingly, two new incidents have been reported in the city where a 70-year-old woman and an assistant sub-inspector sustained serious injuries due to entanglement with Chinese manja.
In the last one month over 132 cases were registered, confiscated 8,376 bobbins valued at Rs 1.68 crore, and arrested 200 people involved in the illegal trade of manja.
The demand for manja continues as the kite-flying reaches a peak in the season of Sankranti. Though the Chinese manja causes injuries and deaths to both humans and birds, the demand for manja continues to soar as the sale of manja among retailers and kite-flying reaches a peak in the season.
Despite the city police having put in place round-the-clock surveillance on e-commerce platforms and social media, the sale of banned thread continues. The netzines reported that on social media platforms like marketplace on Facebook and on the app – OLX, there are several ads where the banned synthetic thread is available. The prohibited thread, which is not used for flying kites, is sold on these platforms between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 per piece.
Mohammed Khizar stated, “As I was browsing through Facebook Marketplace, I came across several advertisements for Chinese manja being sold for Rs 2,500. The sale of this prohibited thread is rising during the season, with traders offering it online. It is crucial for the police to monitor these online platforms to ensure that the thread remains completely banned.” It has been observed that advertisements for Chinese manja are being posted online targeting areas such as Dhoolpet, Mangalhat, Bahadurpura, Nampally, Secunderabad, Saroornagar, and surrounding localities.
On various occasions, Police commissioner VC Sajjanar said that there will be zero tolerance for Chinese manja, which is already banned in Telangana. He said “Chinese manja is a silent killer that has caused serious injuries and even deaths of pedestrians, two-wheeler riders, birds and animals.”
Citizens were urged to use only traditional cotton kite strings and to report violations by dialing 100 or through WhatsApp at 9490616555.
Meanwhile, two new incidents have been reported in the city. A 70-year-old woman, Yadamma, was seriously injured while walking in Almasguda main road, Meerpet. The string wrapped around her leg, causing deep cuts and heavy bleeding. Locals rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she is undergoing treatment.
In another incident, an ASI of Nallakunta Police Station, Nagaraju suffered a serious neck injury after a Chinese manja got entangled around his neck in Uppal. He was heading out from his residence for exhibition duty. He was immediately shifted to a private hospital in LB Nagar.
Earlier, on January 10, Sai Vardhan Reddy a software engineer was injured after manja slit his neck in Uppal area. Passersby rushed Vardhan to a hospital for treatment.
