Ahead of Makar Sankranti, a festival associated with kites, the police in Maharashtra’s Latur district on Friday seized banned manjha or nylon strings worth Rs 6,300.
The state government has prohibited the use of such kite strings, which are coated with metal dust or powdered glass, as it poses risks to birds, animals and humans, said Crime Branch Inspector Gajanan Bhatlawande.
The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had directed local bodies last month to conduct surprise checks to curb the menace of nylon manjha, after which Latur police formed special squads for the purpose. Acting on a tip off, a shop in Labour Colony was raided and nylon kite string worth Rs 6,300 was seized, Bhatlwande said.