NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old man was arrested from northeast Delhi’s Jafrabad area for allegedly dealing in Chinese manjha, police said on Sunday. Based on a tip-off, a trap was laid near the Madina Masjid here on Saturday and Zakhir was caught red-handed selling the banned kite string.
A total of 60 rolls of the Chinese Manjha were recovered from him, the police said.
Efforts are being made to trace the source from where Zakhir illegally procured the kite string, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) Joy Tirkey said.
The Delhi Police has launched a crackdown on those illegally selling Chinese Manjha and its chief Sanjay Arora on Saturday stressed the need for consistent and deterrent action while citing ‘unsatisfactory’ seizure.
The police took legal action against 44 people and seized 120 rolls of Chinese Manjha in the national capital on Wednesday and Thursday -- the first two days of the drive, officials said.
Kite-flying picks up traditionally in the run-up to Independence Day, but several injuries and deaths are also reported due to it every year.
In 2017, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned Chinese Manjha in the national capital as it posed a risk to people and animals by cutting through their skin.
In February this year, the Delhi High Court directed the crime branch of the city police to investigate the manufacturing, sale, purchase and storage of Chinese synthetic manjha, used for kite flying, in markets and shops in the city.
