LUCKNOW, Feb. 23 -- Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested 13 people and registered 14 criminal cases following a week-long statewide crackdown on banned synthetic manjha. Senior police officials shared details in a press note on Sunday, stating the drive led to the seizure of illegal kite strings worth nearly Rs.1.94 lakh from hundreds of outlets across the state. Enforcement teams inspected 117 warehouses and 11,899 shops in the operation, recovering glass-coated nylon kite strings valued at Rs.1,93,960. Of the 14 FIRs registered, 13 individuals were named while one accused surfaced during the investigation. The drive launched in compliance with directives from the Allahabad High Court, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the state government and police headquarters mandated strict action against the manufacture, storage, sale and use of synthetic, nylon and glass-coated kite strings. Senior officers said instructions were issued to all police commissioners and senior superintendents of police across districts to enforce a complete ban on the sale and storage of prohibited kite strings. Authorities noted that banned Chinese manja and synthetic glass-coated strings pose a threat to public safety, causing injuries to pedestrians, two-wheeler riders and birds, in addition to environmental hazards. The crackdown is expected to continue in the coming weeks....