Man arrested for selling banned Chinese manja, 345 bobbins seized in Hyderabad

A 42-year-old man was arrested by the Commissioner’s Task Force, West Zone, for illegally procuring and selling banned nylon-coated Chinese manja. The operation led to the seizure of 345 bobbins valued at ₹6.9 lakh in Hyderabad.

The accused, identified as Mohd Shazaib, who runs a kite business, was apprehended at Sadhu Kite Shop in Kalapathar while stocking and selling the prohibited manja in violation of the State government ban.

According to the police, the accused had procured the banned nylon-coated Chinese manja, branded as Monofil Gold, through an associate identified as Vikram Mehta, a native of Karnal in Haryana. The associate allegedly sourced the manja from Haryana and transported it to Hyderabad. Shazaib is accused of selling the banned material at around ₹2,000 per bobbin to make illegal gains.

Police reiterated that the Telangana government imposed a complete ban on the procurement, stocking, sale and use of Chinese manja in January 2016 under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, citing serious risks to birds and human life. Violators can face imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to ₹1 lakh, or both.

The accused, along with the seized material, has been handed over to the Kalapathar police station for further investigation.