Hyderabad police seize 6,226 bobbins of banned Chinese manja ahead of Sankranti; 143 people arrested

The Hyderabad City Police have intensified enforcement against the sale, storage and transportation of banned Chinese manja ahead of the Sankranti festival, seizing contraband worth ₹1.24 crore and arresting 143 persons, officials said on Thursday (January 8, 2026).

The Police Commissioner, V.C. Sajjanar, said a special drive was launched across the city to curb the illegal trade of synthetic and nylon kite string, which remains prohibited due to the danger it poses to people, birds and the environment. He said there would be zero tolerance and that anyone found involved in selling, storing or transporting Chinese manja would face criminal action.

Most violations in South West Zone

As part of the drive, police registered 103 cases and arrested 143 persons, seizing 6,226 bobbins of Chinese manja with an estimated market value of ₹1,24,52,000. The South West Zone reported the highest number of violations with 34 cases and 46 arrests, leading to the seizure of 3,265 bobbins worth ₹65.30 lakh. This was followed by the South Zone with 27 cases, 35 arrests and seizures worth ₹37.22 lakh. The East Zone reported 18 cases and 29 arrests with seizures valued at ₹6.02 lakh, while the South East Zone recorded nine cases and 10 arrests. The Central, North and West Zones reported six, five and four cases respectively.

The Commissioner’s Task Force registered 67 cases, arresting 87 persons and seizing banned manja worth ₹68,78,000.

Additional Commissioner of Police M. Srinivasulu, DCPs Khare Kiran Prabhakar, G. Chandra Mohan and Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath, Additional DCP Ande Srinivas Rao and other senior officers were present at the press conference. The Commissioner congratulated the officers and staff involved in the drive and presented cash awards in recognition of their work.