Pune Police Raid Budhwar Peth Sex Racket, 15 Bangladesh Nationals Detained
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Budhwar Peth, 28th April 2026: In a major late-night crackdown, Pune Police raided two buildings in the Budhwar Peth area and apprehended 15 persons including 11 women allegedly involved in a prostitution racket, officials said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted between 11.30 pm on Monday and 5 am on Tuesday at the Disco and Matchbox (Machis) buildings. Acting on specific inputs, police teams carried out simultaneous searches across multiple floors of the premises.
According to police, several women and men were detained for their suspected involvement in the flesh trade. Authorities have withheld the identities of victims, including a minor, to protect their privacy.
Preliminary findings indicate that multiple women were allegedly engaged in prostitution, while a minor girl was found to have been forced into the trade. Police also identified a significant number of foreign nationals, primarily from Bangladesh, among those apprehended.
Investigators said the racket was being run in an organised manner across the two buildings. Sumit Milind Chavan has been identified as the alleged owner and key operator of the network. Jyoti alias Sabina Aslam Sheikh was acting as the “madam” (akka) supervising operations, while Rahul Virendra Sharma and Samir Mustafa Halwadar were managing activities at the respective locations.
During the operation, police seized mobile phones and account diaries believed to contain records of transactions and operational details. The seized material is being examined as part of the ongoing probe.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Krushikesh Rawale said, “Acting on credible information, we conducted a coordinated raid at the premises in Budhwar Peth. Several persons were apprehended and a minor victim has been rescued. Further investigation is underway to identify the entire network and take strict legal action.”
Police are also probing possible human trafficking links, including interstate and international connections, and are verifying the legal status of the foreign nationals. Further legal action is being taken.
