Chinese manjha menace persists in Delhi

Over 250 birds were rescued between August 1 and 4, with most of these cases involving deep cuts, broken limbs or loss of eyesight due to the banned manjha

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Despite a complete ban on the sale, storage and use of Chinese manjha, the deadly glass-coated kite string, is still being sold across the national capital under different names with over 1,800 reels being seized by the city police since June 26.

The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch Unit and teams of different districts in multiple recent crackdowns have seized large quantities of the banned Chinese manjha from various parts of Delhi and arrested many people for selling it.

However, police officers admit the seizures are merely a small part of a much larger and dangerous network.

These materials are being sold secretly under different brand names and continue to enter Delhi from nearby areas.

“Some of the names we got to know are Moye-Moye, Dhurandhar, Delhi King and Super Fighter,” the officer said.

According to police sources, sellers have adapted to the ban by rebranding Chinese manjha rolls with fancy names.

The double danger

Chinese manjha poses a threat to humans, birds and animals as its sharp glass-coated string can easily cause fatal injuries.

An officer of the Delhi Fire Service said that not only humans, but Chinese manjha are very dangerous for the birds as well.