CHENNAI: In a drive against the sale of maanja threads, city police arrested two persons and seized several kites and maanja bundles in separate incidents in the last two days.

In Tiruvottiyur, police on Saturday arrested a 40-year-old man and seized 187 kites, 72 maanja thread bundles, and other equipment and items used for making maanja thread from his home. The police had received a tip-off about the man stocking on maanja threads inside his home on VOC Street, Kaladipet.

After confirming that maanja thread bundles were sold from the house, police arrested the occupant, P Arunkumar, and seized the items from the house.

Probe revealed that Arunkumar was working as a manager at a private firm. It further revealed that he had ordered the kites online and sold kites and the in house manufactured maanja threads.

In another incident on Friday, Muthialpet police arrested a 42-year-old man, M Raghavan (42) of Mannady and seized three maanja thread bundles, 46 kites and other items from his house on Saiva Muthiah Street.

Both the arrested persons were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.