The victims are Sergeant Kazi Shahabuddin, 28, of Mohammadpur police, and Shafiul Alam Firoz, 22, a businessman.

Police said the killers of Sergeant Shahabuddin came in a white microbus and fired on him and his companion Hanif as the two were on their way to make a phone call from a shop on Ring Road.

The incident happened at around 7:00pm. Shahabuddin, who received a bullet in the chest, was taken to Dhaka Orthopedic (Pongu) Hospital where doctors declared him dead. Hanif is undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Police said Hanif had a dispute with a local gang over property and was the actual target.

Earlier, a suspected gang of extortionists gunned down businessman Firoz on Babar Road in Jahuri Mohalla a few minutes before the sergeant's murder.

"Firoz was talking to a man in front of the local mosque at about 6:40pm. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot and saw Firoz lying on the ground," said Mohammad Zahid, a resident of the area.

Locals identified the man Firoz was talking to as Shahin, a local ward unit leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

Firoz took a bullet in the chest and was rushed to Suhrawardy Hospital where he died.

The victim's uncle said a gang of extortionists had been demanding money from Firoz for some time, and that the murder could be related to that.

The two bodies were sent to the DMCH for autopsy.