Jajpur: Police on Tuesday arrested two women for allegedly stealing gold jewellery from a showroom at Mangalpur bazaar in the district on Monday. Two others, including a woman, managed to flee from the spot.

The arrested have been identified as Sushama Sahu, 44, and Puspalata Sahu, 40, of Badabantia village in Pattamundai area of neighbouring Kendrapara district.

The police also recovered some of the stolen jewellery from their possession.

They were forwarded to a local court on Tuesday and were later remanded in judicial custody after their bail applications were rejected.

According to a complaint filed by the proprietor of Laxmi Ganesh Jewellery with the local police, four persons, including three women, entered his jewellery showroom at Mangalpur bazaar on Monday afternoon. They asked the showroom staff to show some gold chains and silver anklets (paunjis).

"While a man and woman asked the staff to show them only gold chains, two other women who had accompanied them asked our staff to show them silver anklets of various varieties," said Prabhakar Prusty, proprietor of Laxmi Ganesh Jewellery.

Prusty claimed that the four persons checked out many verities of gold and silver jewellery for sometime and left the shop without buying anything.

"During count of the gold and silver items that were shown to them, our showroom staff found a gold chain and two pairs of silver anklets missing. Then our staff went out in search of them and managed to catch the two women from a place near the showroom," he said.

But, the other woman and the man who accompanied them had fled from the scene by the time, he added.

The showroom staff also recovered a pair of silver anklet from the women.

Later, Prusty informed the local police about the incident and the duo were detained.

"During interrogation, the women confessed to committing the crime. They have also admitted that four persons had come to the jewellery shop to steal ornaments. The duo has taken the stolen gold chain and a pair of silver anklet," said investigating officer Sushant Kumar Singh.

The police have launched a manhunt to arrest the other two persons.

"We hope to arrest the two others soon," he said.

Morcha protest

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of Mayurbhanj headed by its general secretary Kalinga Kesari Jena held a protest demanding early completion of Subarnarekha irrigation project and rehabilitation of the land losers in Baripada district.