Three held in west Delhi with 1,398 reels of banned Chinese manjha

A silver-coloured car carrying 1,398 reels of banned Chinese/plastic manjha was stopped near Khayala in west Delhi early Tuesday, leading to the arrest of three men, police said.

Crime Branch officers said they acted on information received on August 8 that a Nangloi resident, Rajesh, and his associates would bring a large consignment of the prohibited kite string to the area for clandestine sale. A team laid a trap near Khayala at about 2am and intercepted the vehicle as it travelled from the Khayala-Paschim Vihar drain side towards Raghubir Nagar.

Police identified the other two men as Asad and Sohail. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes containing the manjha were found during the search, and the vehicle was seized.

Chinese/plastic manjha is prohibited under Delhi Environment Department notifications that bar its manufacture, sale, storage and use. Police said they are tracing the source of the consignment, its intended buyers and others who may have been involved in its manufacture, storage, transport or sale.