Bhubaneswar, July 18: Two college students and a Class IX student were arrested for allegedly trying to rob a 35-year-old woman of her ornaments at knife point in her Bhimatangi house.

Though the incident had happened on July 16, Airfield police arrested two of the three accused today. On the day of the incident, the neighbours, who had rushed to the rescue of the victim, had handed over one of the accused to the police.

The arrested persons include Ashwini Patra, 17, Sahil Samantray, 16, and P. Hariprasad Dora, 15. Patra and Samantaray are pursuing intermediate courses in a city college. The third accused studies in a school at Unit-I.

The complaint, Haraprasad Biswal’s wife, said: “Hearing the bell ring, I opened the door. The boy (Sahil), who pressed the bell, introduced himself as a student of one of the schools and wanted her help to complete a school assignment. He asked for water. When I brought water, he pushed me from behind. I fell on the sofa and all of a sudden he held a knife around my neck. He asked me to hand over gold ornaments and cash from the almirah.”

After Sahil let her go near the almirah, she screamed for help.

Scared that the neighbours may gather, Sahil managed to flee. His two other accomplices were waiting for him outside the house in a motorcycle. As he left in a hurry, he dropped his cell phone in the house.

A few minutes later, one of his companions, Ashwini appeared at their residence.

By that time, the neighbours had gathered at her house. He told the victim that the youth who had entered the house had robbed him of his cell phone and he had come to collect it.

Neighbours grew suspicious about Ashwini and they detained him till the police arrived.