Varanasi: A day after a 55-year-old biker died when a Chinese kite string slit his throat on Kajjakpura flyover, a citywide crackdown on the stocking and sale of banned Chinese manjha gathered momentum on Monday, with nine people arrested and over 137 kg of the dangerous kite string seized from shops, warehouses and other storage points.
Police recovered 37.873 kg of manjha in Kotwali, 56 kg in Dashashwamedh, 10 kg in Bhelupur, 2 kg in Manduadih, 3.865 kg in Sarnath, 0.5 kg in Lohta and 6.5 kg in Lalpur-Pandeypur. In Ramnagar, police recovered another 20 kg of abandoned manjha near a ghat, taking the total seizure to 137.448 kg. Acting on the directions of police commissioner Mohit Agrawal to launch a mega drive against the stocking and sale of kite strings, whether imported from China or manufactured elsewhere in the country, teams across the Varanasi Commissionerate launched an intensive combing operation.
The operation covered shops, warehouses and suspected storage points to curb the sale, storage and use of the banned synthetic thread. During the drive, eight cases were registered. Two accused were arrested in Kotwali, one each in Dashashwamedh, Bhelupur, Manduadih, Lohta and Lalpur-Pandeypur, and two in Sarnath. The police commissioner directed all station in-charges to continue surveillance and checks against the prohibited manjha. He warned that any negligence would invite accountability and that anyone found selling, stocking or using the banned string would face strict legal action.