Yashwant Sonawane murder: Crack down on oil mafia; over 180 in police net

Launching a crack down on the oil adulteration mafia following the murder of additional district collector Yashwant Sonawane, authorities today carried out raids at nearly 200 places in Maharashtra and arrested over 180 people.

The action comes two days after Sonawane, a Maharashtra cadre officer, was burnt alive allegedly by persons associated with the oil mafia near Sagar Dhaba at Manmad in Nashik district in broad daylight.

"So far, more than 180 persons have been arrested during the raids at nearly 200 oil adulteration locations in the state," additional director general (law & order) KP Raghuvanshi said.

The 42-year-old Malegaon additional collector was accompanied by his personal assistant and driver when the brazen killing took place about away 260 kms from Mumbai.

Eleven persons have been arrested in connection with the murder while the main accused Popat Shinde, suspected to have had set the collector on fire, has been admitted in state-run JJ hospital here with severe burn injuries.

Shinde's condition is serious and he has been kept under observation, doctors at the hospital said.