Act against oil mafia

The way the authorities have been prompt and efficient in dealing with additional collector Yeshwant Sonawan's killing and the oil mafia is commendable. In a single swoop, they seized two lakh litres of adulterated fuel in Mumbai. As many as 200 hideouts across the state were closed down. The authorities arrested 235 persons in 48 hours. More raids are planned, more culprits will be put behind bars and more gallons of adulterated fuel will be confiscated. The government has hit the oil mafia hard.
But does all this action mean that the authorities were aware knowing all the of the mafia activity and hideouts? Did they know the places where adulteration was rampant and on a massive scale?And still they didn't act until they faced a major loss of face? Doesn't seem improbable. Or else, how could the authorities have raided so many places simultaneously?
They are more questions to be answered. What emboldened the mafia members not to think twice before setting an additional collector on fire? Can they think of such a step unless they have got away with murder for years? How strong are their links with the officials? What allowed them to do whatever they pleased and be protected from the law? Has this happened because officials have been compromising themselves in the past? Is such a brazen murder a spasmodic action as the raids that followed?
The roads leading to Panewadi, where Sonawane was killed, is lined with high walls, thus concealing from public view the illegal hoarding of fuel. Trucks from major oil depots were routinely parked behind these walls and fuel adulterated. The world knew about this activity, but not the authorities. Were the authorities really clueless about the oil mafia activity? How serious are the authorities about the present line of action against the mafia? Will they persist with it?
Everyone knew that Sonawane's assailant Popat Shinde's writ ran in the area. He must have enjoyed the blessings of some influential politicians, and bureaucrats and police officials. Who were they? The role of government agencies in letting the illegal trade flourish must be investigated properly. But I am sure and most of the people in the region fear, that in a matter of a few days, all the show of action against the oil mafia will stop. And everything will go back to the good old days, as if nothing objectionable has ever happened.