Police have seized books of accounts, which are being scrutinised by auditors of the Zilla Parishad. They suspect that huge sums of money may have been diverted from the Guru Ganesh Jain Shikshan Samiti run by the ashram's trustees.

They have found at least Rs 33 lakh, collected by way of donations between April 1, 1997, and July 6, 1998, unaccounted for and about Rs 10 lakh of the outgoings unexplained as the accounts for this period are unaudited.

Police are now scouring the premises for a `Jain Diary' which could lead them to the beneficiaries of funds collected from devotees, most of whom are anonymous.

They have thus far interrogated more than 70 persons and recorded their statements following the murder, which they say is probably linked to thefinancial goings-on at the ashram. However, they say it is too early to hazard a definite theory.

``We have still to come across a statement which can form the basis for some arrest,'' Police Commissioner Satish Kulkarni toldThe Indian Express.

From statements recorded during their investigation, police have also discovered that at least two thefts took place at the ashram during the last five years. Strangely, both went unreported. ``It is a mystery why none of the trustees lodged a complaint,'' an official says. Inquiries have also uncovered serious differences between Muni Sampat Maharaj and the ashram's trustees, which could be very revealing, they observe.

Assistant Commissioners of Police Shyamrao Digaonkar and S T Mahajan (Crime) told The Indian Express that a sea of information has been flowing in following the muni's murder.The investigation itself has been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) but the local police say they will continue their inquiries till there isan official communication to this effect.For the moment, though, they are looking for a motive for the murder in the account books of the trust.

The ashram, sources in the community say, had devised an ingenious method of seeking donations. Devotees would often be asked to leave their jewellery behind `to help the cause of the community'.

Moreover, specific sums of money were demanded using an intriguing modus operandi: silver coins would be drawn at random from a container and handed out, the coin bearing the ashram's logo -- and a figure corresponding to the amount expected from the devotee. The figures ranged from Rs 3,000 to Rs 11,000. The act was perceived as an obligation or a command which few dared disobey.

Sources in the community also say they knew little about how the funds were used. They say a proposed project announced by the trustees to build a cancer hospital had attracted huge donations from Jains all across the country, especially from South India. However, work on the project has notcommenced. Neither have any moves been made towards initiating it.