Mangaluru(PTI): Two girls, working as service representatives of a rural development scheme, died of severe stomachache at a private hospital here on Thursday, police sources said.

The deceased are identified as Rakshitha (22) and Lavanya (21), residents of Patrame village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.

While Rakshitha died Thursday morning, Lavanya succumbed in the afternoon at the hospital.

The exact cause of their death is not immediately known. It is suspected that they died by suicide by consuming poison, sources said.

Both the girls complained of severe stomachache on April 4 evening and were admitted to a nearby hospital, from where they were shifted to Mangaluru.

The two girls were close friends and working for the same organisation. Dharmasthala police have registered a case and further investigation is on.