The killer manja thread has claimed yet another life in the city. This time, of a three-year-old boy who was riding a motorcycle with his father. The thread, coated with sharp glass pieces and used to fly kites, slit his throat near Korukkupet on Sunday.
According to the police, Abhinayu was sitting on the petrol tank of the vehicle. When the vehicle was on the flyover in Meenambal Nagar in R.K.Nagar, a piece of manja slit his neck.
His father, Gopal, rushed him to Stanley Medical College Hospital. However, he succumbed to injuries, police said. The family is from the Seven Wells locality. The police have registered a case and are trying to find the person who used the manja thread to fly the kite.
In August, Sarwan, 3, suffered injuries after a manja thread slit his throat when he was travelling on a two-wheeler with his father Saravanan in Tambaram.
In December 2018, Saravanan of Kolathur, a neurosurgeon at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, suffered injuries after a manja slit his throat at ICF.
Sale still on
The sale of manja has been banned in the city. In 2015, the city police issued prohibitory orders against its use. The thread can kill a person if it gets entangled around the neck and can also cause serious injury to the limbs. “We have been taking action against those flying kites using manja . In fact, even last month, we conducted a raid and seized six kites,” said a senior police officer.
Though police claim they have banned the sale of manja , regular users state that youngsters make and use it. “During Deepavali season, kite flying using manja is common in north Chennai. The products necessary for making manja , including an adhesive called vajram, is easily available in local markets. Youngsters purchase them and make the deadly thread,” said a resident of Washermanpet.
“The police take action only when someone dies,” an angry resident said.
