Nagpur: The Social Security Branch (SSB) and Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Nagpur Crime Branch have booked a 23-year-old man for allegedly facilitating prostitution and possessing MD (mephedrone) for sale in the Ajni area.

The accused has been identified as Manthan Gopal Thote (23), a resident of Chandramani Nagar, Galli No. 7, under Ajni police jurisdiction. Police have also named Kunal Yashwant Yelekar, a resident of Durganagar, Nagpur, as a wanted accused in the case.

According to police, the action was carried out around 6.55 pm on September 16, 2026, on a public road opposite the Hanuman Nagar Public Library in Ajni.

The Social Security Branch received information that the accused was allegedly luring women with promises of earning substantial money in a short period and subsequently facilitating their involvement in prostitution by arranging customers.

Acting on the information, the Social Security Department and AHTU team conducted a raid with two panch witnesses and a decoy customer. During the operation, Thote allegedly arranged for an adult woman to meet the decoy customer for sexual services, following which police took action.

During a search of the accused, police allegedly recovered 3.610 grams of MD powder valued at ₹36,100, which they suspect was intended for sale to customers.

The police also seized ₹1,500 in cash, an Activa scooter valued at ₹60,000 and two mobile phones worth ₹21,000, taking the total value of the seized property to ₹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(c), 22(b) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The accused was handed over to Ajni police for further legal action. Police are continuing efforts to trace the wanted accused.