Policemen stand guard outside Ganesh Jewellers in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, March 29: The income tax department today raided the house and shop of the owner of Ganesh Jewellery. He had been arrested for selling silver bricks stolen from Puri’s Emar Mutt.

“The raid is on. We have seized many incriminating documents,” said a senior official of the income tax department.

On Monday, the state government had informed the Assembly that mahant Rajgopal Ramanuj Das of Emar Mutt was the prime accused in theft case. The mahant used to supply the silver bricks to Ganesh Jewellery who later melted and sold them in the open market.

Law minister Bikram Keshri Arukh said that by selling the sliver bricks, the mahant had earned money that was used to buy real estate.

“It has come to light in the preliminary inquiry that the mahant has deposited money in various bank accounts,” he added.

Arukh had told the Assembly that the state endowment commission had engaged a contractor, Pupun alias Sanjay Mohapatra, in 2010 for the renovation and repair of the mutt.

“The labourers had taken away 11 silver bricks from the mutt. The state government has so far recovered 18 tonne and 88kg of silver bricks. A five-member committee has been constituted to look into the affairs of the mutt,” the minister said.

The newly-formed committee today said steps would be taken to restore the past glory of the mutt. Spokesperson of the committee Bijay Ramanuj said: “The committee will help the administration in the investigation. Developmental will be taken for the welfare of the people. The idol of saint Ramanuj is still on the premises.”

The Puri police had arrested seven persons, including the mutt’s mahant, and recovered 3.40 quintals of silver ingots worth Rs 3 crore, two four-wheelers and one two-wheeler following raids at different places in Cuttack and Puri.

The theft of silver bricks from the mutt had come to light following the arrest of two labourers, Barun Nayak and Akshya Nayak, on February 25 from Dhenkanal.