Police teams reach Gujarat in search of suppliers

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The use of deadly nylon kite string for flying kites has been reported, prompting the police to launch an aggressive crackdown against it. As part of the ongoing drive against nylon kite string, police have so far seized around 1,000 bundles and arrested 12 persons. Based on information obtained from the arrested accused, it has emerged that the string is being smuggled from Surat in Gujarat. Police said two teams have been dispatched to Surat to trace the suppliers involved in the racket.

Nylon kite string poses a serious threat to human life as well as to birds and animals. Therefore, under the state government’s 2023 prohibition notification, the responsibility of enforcing the ban has been assigned to the Municipal Corporation, Municipal Councils, district administration, revenue department, Zilla Parishad, police, environment department, pollution control board, forest department, and health department. However, except for the police, no other department appears to have taken concrete action. After the High Court pulled up the authorities, the police intensified action, arrested 12 accused, and seized as many as 1,000 bundles of nylon kite string.

Use of fake names and mobile numbers

After the crime branch arrested a gang of siblings involved in selling the banned kite string, it was revealed that parcels were being ordered from Surat using fake names and SIM cards. In connection with this, one team from the crime branch and another from City Chowk police station have gone to Surat in Gujarat to trace the suppliers, said police inspector Gajanan Kalyankar. Meanwhile, after a three-year-old child was injured in the neck by kite string in the Central Naka area, police tightened the noose around sellers from December 7 onwards. Following strict instructions from police commissioner Pravin Pawar, around 1,000 bundles of nylon kite string have been seized from 12 accused so far.