Odisha cops continue crackdown on shops in Cuttack; Manja bundles seized

Cuttack: In a bid to prohibit the use of Manja thread for flying kites, Cuttack Police today continued its drive for the fourth day and carried out check searches, Zone VI ACP Swastik Panda said.

“We are giving more emphasis to the creation of awareness along with enforcement of the norms. Acting on a directive of the DCP Sir, we started this drive on January 12. Initially, we identified the localities where kite flying is being done rampantly such as Kathajodi and Ring Road. Through the PCR vans with public address systems, we made people aware of the harms of Manja threads. On January 13, we raided several shops selling the prohibited threads,” the ACP expressed when contacted.

“Yesterday also, we raided a shop at Purna Sahu Chhack and sized around 640 rolls of Manja thread. The shopkeeper was arrested and forwarded to a local court. A case (No-25/2024 under Sections 188, 292, and 291 of the IPC) has been registered in this connection at Purighat PS,” ACP Panda stated.

“We continued the awareness drive today on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, which will be intensified in the days ahead. Actions will be taken against whoever will be found guilty,” the ACP added.