CHENNAI: In two separate incidents, the police arrested former staff of a gold jewellery store and a goldsmith unit for stealing gold from their employers.

Saidapet police had registered a case based on a complaint from Abhay Sundar (35) who runs a jewellery store. According to the complainant, last month, a staff member who had worked in their store three years ago approached him to rejoin work and started work on May 7.

On May 13, Abhay Sundar had called the staff over the phone as he did not turn up for work within a week of rejoining, but the calls remained unanswered.

On suspicion, Abhay checked his inventory and found that about 48 sovereigns of jewellery were missing along with the staff.

A special team headed by Inspector (crime) Saidapet traced the accused, Rohith Dhubal Singh (24) to Ajmer, Rajasthan, and arrested him. Police recovered 42.5 sovereigns of gold from him. The search is on for his accomplice. Police said that he was being brought to the city on a transit warrant.

In another similar incident in Royapettah police limits, a worker at a goldsmith unit escaped with 20.9 grams of gold bar and 102-gram copper wires from the unit, after which the employer, Gautham Surana (36) filed a complaint.

Probe revealed that the suspect had been working at the unit since 2008 and escaped from the city on May 23. Police traced the suspect, Bapi Hazra (43) to West Bengal, and the stolen items were recovered from him. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.