Mumbai:
Days after the brutal killing of Additional Collector Yashwant Sonawane, more evidence has surfaced to show that no action was taken against Popat Shinde, the prime accused in his murder, despite a detailed report given by Sonawane.
The report, prepared by Sonawane in August 2010, said the police should take action against Shinde under Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). He had filed the report after he conducted raids on Shinde around six months ago.
Sonawane was set on fire by the oil mafia in Manmad in Maharashtra on Tuesday. Eleven people have been arrested for his murder. His driver's testimony has confirmed that he was burnt alive because he tried to film kerosene being stolen from an oil tanker on his cellphone. Sources now say he stopped to film the kerosene theft as he wanted to collect more evidence against Shinde.
Sonawane's report, a copy of which is with NDTV, confirms the police theory that his murderers had interacted with him before, and wanted to punish him because he had tried to interfere earlier with their operations.
Oil mafia in Manmad operates uninhibitedly. This is where nearly 300 tankers are filled everyday with fuel from massive oil depots. Manmad hosts a major intersection of four highways. From here, oil tankers make their way to Malegaon, Nashik, Aurangabad and Nagar. Drivers of the tankers are seen brazenly stealing kerosene from the trucks they drive. Tankers are locked after they are filled up, but the mafia has duplicate keys. Highway robbery is a fact of life.
Sources say Popat Shinde has been working for the oil mafia for nearly 30 years. Once a roadside snack seller, he befriended truck drivers who operate at the massive oil depots in Manmad. Shinde learnt the tricks of the oil pilferage trade and soon made enough money to own two oil tankers.
He led a group of people who reportedly poured kerosene all over Sonawane while he was on an official tour. Shinde was also injured in the attack he launched. He is now in a local hospital with serious burns.
(Read: Who is Popat Shinde?)Police sources say they now have enough evidence to book Shinde under stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act or MCOCA.