Khulna Bureau:
 
Police recovered the bullet-riddled bodies of two youths from the Atharobeki River in Rupsha upazila of Khulna on Monday, bringing the number of murders in Khulna city and district to 75 in the first 10 months of this year.
 
The bodies were recovered around 11:30am from the Singher Char area, opposite Rupsha Government College. Police suspect the two were shot dead before their bodies were dumped in the river.
 
The deceased were identified as Mehedi Hasan Sohag, 35, and Rezaul Karim alias Alamin, 30. According to police, both were members of the notorious criminal group known as B Company in Khulna.
 
Sohag had a bullet wound near his eye, while Alamin bore gunshot injuries below his chin and on his back.
 
Sohag was a resident of Rajapur village in Rupsha upazila. His father was identified as Md Abdullah. Local residents said Abdullah had once worked as a boatman at the Jailkhana Ghat before Sohag became involved with the B Company gang. The identity and other details of Alamin's father could not be immediately ascertained.
 
Witnesses said they spotted a body floating in the river near Singher Char on Sunday morning. As the water level receded during low tide, they noticed two bodies lying side by side in the same area.
 
One of the victims was wearing a shirt and jeans, while the other had on a T-shirt and jeans. Police were subsequently informed, and local residents identified the bodies after making inquiries in nearby villages.
 
Officer-in-Charge of Rupsha Police Station Masum Khan said both bodies bore multiple bullet wounds.
 
"Preliminary findings suggest that the two were shot dead before their bodies were dumped in the river. We believe the murders took place within the past 24 hours," he said.
 
He confirmed that both victims were members of B Company, adding that investigators were examining whether internal rivalries within the criminal group had led to the killings.
 
Earlier, on Saturday night, miscreants hacked Shahidul Islam Kolin, 35, to death on Kashemia Jame Mosque Road under Labanchara Police Station in Khulna city around 11:00pm.
 
In another incident, a Jatiya Party leader named Syed Humayun Kabir was hacked to death behind the Rayermohol Boro Mosque in the city on Sunday evening. Police have arrested a man named Siddiq Sheikh in connection with the killing.
 
The recovery of the two bullet-riddled bodies from the river on Monday came amid a series of killings in the city and district, taking the total number of reported murders during the first 10 months of the year to 75.