Man held in Ajni sex trade case, 3.61 grams MD drugs seized

Nagpur Crime Branch's Social Security Department and Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) have arrested a 23-year-old man in the Ajni police station area. Police said the accused arranged women for sex trade, and MD drugs were also recovered from him.

The arrested accused has been identified as Manthan Gopal Thote (23), a resident of Chandramani Nagar, Lane No. 7, in Nagpur's Ajni area. Police have named Kunal Yashwant Yelkar, a resident of Durga Nagar in Nagpur, as a wanted accused in the case.

According to police, the action was carried out on September 16, 2026, around 6:55 pm on the public road in front of Hanuman Nagar Public Library in the Ajni area.

Police had received information that the accused lured women and girls with the promise of quick money and trapped them, arranging customers for sex trade. Based on this information, the Social Security Department and AHTU team planned an operation with a decoy customer and two panch witnesses. During the operation, the accused allegedly arranged an adult woman, who had agreed to it, for the decoy customer, after which police took him into custody.

During the search, police recovered 3.610 grams of MD powder from the accused, valued at around Rs 36,100. Police suspect the drugs were kept for sale to customers.

In the search, police also seized Rs 1,500 in cash, an Activa scooter worth around Rs 60,000, and two mobile phones worth Rs 21,000. The total value of the seized property has been put at Rs 1,18,600.

A case has been registered at Ajni police station under Sections 143(2) and 143(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and Sections 8(A), 22(B) and 29 of the NDPS Act.

The arrested accused has been handed over to Ajni police for further legal action. The search for wanted accused Kunal Yashwant Yelkar is on. The investigation is also focusing on the entire sex trade network, potential customers, the source of the MD drugs, and the role of others linked to the accused.

The operation was carried out by the Social Security Department and AHTU team under the supervision of Police Inspector Darshan Patil of Nagpur Crime Branch's Social Security Department. The complaint in the case was filed by police head constable Prakash Mathankar.