480 Chinese manja bobbins worth ₹7.5 lakh seized in Hyderabad

Hyderabad police have confiscated 480 bobbins of prohibited Chinese manja, valued at around ₹7.5 lakh, from a kite shop proprietor named Abhishek Singh, 26. Singh, who resides in Puranapul, was arrested in Kalapathar on October 6 by the Charminar Zone Task Force and local police officers.

The seized items comprised 10 cartons filled with 480 bobbins of Mono Gold synthetic nylon glass-coated manja, alongside two mobile phones. Singh purportedly procured the consignment from a source identified as Mohsin, a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan. The shipment was transported to Hyderabad via a private transport service.

According to the police, Singh had intended to stockpile and sell the banned manja to retailers and customers in and around Hyderabad at inflated prices for kite flying during the festival of Sankranti. On October 6, Singh visited a transport hub in Kalapathar to collect the 10 cartons, when he was apprehended by the task force and police, leading to the seizure of the consignment.

The synthetic nylon thread, which is coated with glass, is hazardous to humans, birds, and animals. Ongoing investigations are being conducted by the authorities.