CHENNAI: A two-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man sustained injuries as they got entangled in the maanja thread used to fly kites, in separate incidents in Vyasarpadi. Police have arrested 10 people, including three minor boys, in connection with the incidents and recovered at least 100 kites, several bundles of the thread and spools.
Maanja is an abrasive thread used in kite flying. It is coated with powdered glass, adhesive, and other materials to make it sharp and abrasive. Flying kites using this thread is banned in Chennai.
According to the police, the two-year-old boy was travelling with his parents on a bike along the Vyasarpadi bridge, when a kite thread in the vicinity injured the boy’s neck. He is receiving treatment at a private hospital at present.
On the same bridge, Jilani Basha (40) was coming in the opposite direction on his two-wheeler, when he also got injured by the thread. He was also admitted to a hospital. Vyasarpadi police registered two cases and arrested 10 people. While seven men were sent for judicial remand, three minors were sent to a juvenile home.