Two arrests have been made in connection with the theft of about $2 million worth of merchandise from a Forsyth County jewelry store.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s has charged Carl Henry Bowser III, 26, of Atlanta and Kenardis Demaine Holloway, 31, of Smyrna with one count each of burglary and theft by receiving.

The suspects are being held at the Forsyth County Detention Center. Bond has not been set.

Sheriff’s Maj. Dan Jagoe said the agency’s warrant unit caught up with Bowser on Tuesday afternoon at a home in Atlanta. Holloway was found early Wednesday at a hotel in Stockbridge.

“They did a great job locating these two quickly for us,” Jagoe said.

The theft occurred sometime between Saturday night and late Sunday night at Milano Fine Jewelry on Buford Highway.

Sheriff’s Lt. Col. Gene Moss declined to say whether there might be more arrests as the investigation continues.

He did note, however, that authorities have recovered some of the property taken from the store.

“This [burglary] was a professional operation,” Moss said. “There was a lot of planning that went into this.”

Authorities were notified of the theft by workers who showed up for a construction job about 8:30 a.m. Monday at the empty store next to Milano.

Moss said the suspects apparently broke into the rear of the empty store and entered Milano through an interior wall between the two structures.

“The [jewelry] business had been ransacked and the safe had been breached with some type of cutting device,” Moss said.

He noted that the suspects stole the store’s surveillance equipment and “spent a considerable amount of time in the business.”

During a press conference Wednesday, Sheriff Ted Paxton said authorities were searching a safe deposit box at an Atlanta bank in hopes of finding more of the missing items.

He said investigators are also working to identify more suspects.

Bowser and Holloway became suspects after a deputy recalled talking to them Sunday afternoon in response to a report of suspicious people in the area.

Paxton said at that time, the deputy did not have probable cause to arrest the men but documented information from their conversation. The deputy also was not aware of the burglary.

He said authorities are still trying to establish a timeline of the crime.

“There is strong evidence here that indicates the individuals involved in this burglary were very sophisticated,” Paxton said. “They have a tremendous amount of technical knowledge as to security features in these types of stores.”

Paxton said investigators are checking with other law enforcement agencies regarding similar burglaries, not only in Georgia but in neighboring states.

“We are working with them to see if we can establish any more information on similarities to possibly tie [the suspects] to any of these other burglaries that have been occurring over about the last year,” he said.

Moss said the suspects left the business through a back door.

There was a trail of merchandise leading through a field to an old barn near Nuckolls Road, where authorities think the suspects got into a vehicle and left.

Ibrahim Ehican, whose family owns the jewelry store, said he and his relatives are still in shock.

“I definitely appreciate the detectives on the case and everything, but it doesn’t ease anything at this point,” he said.