Unidentified criminals hacked and shot two Awami League activists dead in Raipur upazila of Laxmipur early yesterday.    

Ismail Hossain Manik, 35, son of late Sekendar Hossain of Rajibpur village, and Kamrul Islam, 28, son of Shamsul Karim of the same village, were active activists of the party, said Belayet Hossain, president of Bangakha union AL.   

Quoting the victim families, police said Ismail and Kamrul received phone calls and

went outside their homes around 11:30pm Friday. They had been missing since then.

Their bodies were found in a field in Rajibpur village yesterday morning.

On information, police recovered the bodies and sent them to Laxmipur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsies.

Jenny, daughter of victim Manik, alleged that her father had been receiving death threats from local goons -- Ripon and Sangram.

She claimed that Manik became traceless after having received the phone call from the duo.

Nasim Miah, assistant superintendent of police in Laxmipur, said they suspected that Manik and Kamrul had been killed over an internal feud of a gang of drug peddlers.

The victims stood accused in several criminal cases, including for drug peddling and robbery, he added.