India, Oct. 22 -- Cracking down on the sand mafia, the Solapur district police have detained 51 sand smugglers and habitual offenders in Yerawada central prison under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act over the past two years from September 2024 to September 2026. The move targets illegal sand extraction and sale, particularly in areas where no sand auctions have been carried out; and use of proceeds from the trade to finance criminal activities.

The crackdown follows incidents wherein sand smugglers allegedly rammed vehicles into government officials and attacked police personnel. Solapur superintendent of police Atul Kulkarni said that the police have compiled detailed records of habitual offenders and are us...