Noida delivery agent dies after kite-string injury near UP Gate

Raviraj, a 25-year-old delivery agent from Noida, died on Saturday after police said a banned Chinese manjha strand injured his neck while he was riding on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near UP Gate in Ghaziabad.

Raviraj and his friend Naresh were travelling towards Ghazipur at about 2pm when the string struck near Media House, police said. Raviraj lost control of the motorcycle, but Naresh, who was seated behind him, took hold of the handlebar and stopped it. Passersby took Raviraj to Max Hospital in Vaishali, where he was declared dead on arrival.

ACP Indirapuram Suryabali Maurya said police received a Dial 112 call about an injured motorcyclist on the expressway. Police said Chinese manjha, generally made from nylon or other plastic material and sometimes coated with sharp substances, is banned under court and government orders.

Police said six people have been arrested in Ghaziabad over alleged sales of the string in the past three weeks. This includes three people held with 522 rolls in Loni on July 29 and three people arrested with 167 rolls on August 12. DCP Dhawal Jaiswal said police are checking kite shops across the district and areas near the expressway.