Rajkot, Oct 14 (IANS): Two migrant workers hailing from Bengal, identified as Rahul Sheikh (25) and Meenu Sheikh (26), were allegedly murdered by the owner and staff of a silver and imitation jewellery manufacturing unit in Thorala area of Rajkot.

The incident took place on October 12 and the investigation is still on, officials said on Saturday.

Rahul and Meenu were summoned to an upper floor of the factory on suspicion of theft of silver, where they were allegedly beaten with wooden and plastic sticks. After they lost consciousness they were locked inside the security guard's room.

According to the accused men, Rahul had been dismissed from his job at the factory seven months ago under suspicion of theft of silver. However, he was rehired just ten days prior to the incident when discrepancies in the silver stock were detected, prompting their questioning and the assault.

Authorities have detained seven individuals for questioning, including the factory owner, Sagar Savaliya, the manager, Vipul Moliya, and factory workers Himalaya and Dhaval.

Additionally, two contractors, Tanmay and Pradeep, responsible for bringing in migrant labourers, along with Pushpendra, the factory's security guard, were also taken into custody.

The crime came to light when the 108 ambulance service received a distress call on Friday morning, alerting them about the two unconscious labourers.

Upon examination, the medical team discovered that Rahul and Meenu were already dead and the paramedics promptly notified the police.

A preliminary examination of the victims revealed signs of injuries on their bodies, prompting law enforcement agencies to initiate a full-scale investigation into the matter.

Initial inquiries indicated that there had been a shortage of 3 kgs of silver in the inventory at MBS Ornaments. The factory manager and the security guard began closely monitoring the workers. The security guard allegedly discovered 100 grams of stolen silver in Rahul's possession as he was leaving the premises on Thursday night after completing his shift.

Rahul confessed to the theft, explaining that he had resorted to stealing due to urgent financial needs. He also confessed to enlisting Meenu's assistance in selling the stolen silver in the market. Notably, Meenu was not an employee of the factory.