Nagpur: Crime Branch Unit No. 5 of Nagpur Police busted a black marketing racket involving tickets of the India versus New Zealand T20 cricket match and arrested a 19-year-old youth near the VCA Stadium area late Saturday night.

According to police, between 9.30 pm and 10.30 pm on January 18, the Crime Branch team was patrolling within the limits of Sadar police station when they received credible information that a person was illegally selling match tickets near Heritage Hotel, on the road from St. Ursula School towards Jaika Motors, adjacent to the VCA Stadium.

Acting swiftly, police laid a trap and conducted a raid in the presence of panch witnesses. The suspect was detained and identified as Mohammad Aadeb Sheikh Ijaz (19), a resident of Taj Nagar near the Muslim burial ground and currently residing on rent at Teka Naka, Pachpaoli, Nagpur.

During personal search, police recovered two T20 match tickets priced at Rs 650 each from his trouser pocket. During interrogation, the accused admitted that he was selling the tickets in the black market at Rs 2,500 per ticket for personal financial gain.

Police seized the match tickets along with a Redmi mobile phone, collectively valued at Rs 23,000. Based on a complaint lodged by Police Constable Sheikh Nazir Sheikh Nabi, a case has been registered at Sadar police station under Sections 33(x) and 131 of the Maharashtra Police Act, and the accused has been arrested. Further investigation is underway.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Rahul Maknikar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Narendra Hivre, and was executed by Police Inspector Vinayak Golhe, Police Constable Nazir Sheikh, and their team from Crime Branch Unit No. 5.