Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad rural police arrested Virendra Patel, the allaged mastermid behind the large-scale manufacture and supply of banned Chinese kite string, after he remained absconding for nearly 20 days. Patel, a native of Dhoraji who operated from Vapi, is accused of endangering public safety by producing and distributing the hazardous string, locally known as tukkal, despite a statewide ban. Four separate cases have been registered against him at different police stations.

The arrest followed an extensive drive by the Ahmedabad rural Special Operations Group (SOG) under Operation Dori, which led investigators to an illegal manufacturing unit operating as Vandana Industries in Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Police seized 52,000 spools of Chinese string worth ₹1.82 crore from the unit, along with machinery and raw material, taking the total seizure in the case to ₹2.34 crore. The factory was sealed.

Investigators said Patel allegedly supplied over 90 truckloads of Chinese string over the past two months to markets across Saurashtra, north and south Gujarat, and Ahmedabad city and rural areas. He was finally arrested when he returned to Ahmedabad to consult a lawyer, after reportedly travelling to Diu and Somnath while on the run. Further arrests and legal action are expected as the probe continues.