Unidentified criminals hacked a khadem of a mazar to death in Choita intersection area under Kaunia upazila in Rangpur district Tuesday night.

The deceased was Rahamat Ali, 55, of Bade Moskur village of the same upazila.

According to police, a group of miscreants attacked Rahmat with sharp weapons while he was returning home from his medicine shop in Choita intersection area around 11:30pm, leaving him dead on the spot.

Locals said he was hacked brutally on the head and neck.

Rahmat established a mazar in his father Abdus Sattar's name in Choita intersection area and himself became a Khadem there. Weekly jikir is held there every Thursday, said locals and police sources.

On November 21 every year, Rahmat used to organise religious lectures on his father's death anniversary. Preparations for this year's lectures were going on, they said.

Police officials suspected that Rahmat was killed by extremists who oppose majars and peers. They said the attack on Rahmat was largely similar to those of other peers and khadems including ex-PDB chairman Khijir Khan.

Having recovered the body, police sent it to Rangpur Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

ABM Zahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kaunia Police Station, said the body bore several injury marks of sharp weapons on the neck and the head.

He said police arrested Shahidul Islam, 35, and Morshed Ali, 32, of the same village for their suspected involvement in the killing.

"He might have been killed over previous enmity," the OC added.

No case was lodged in this connection till filing of the report at 4:00pm yesterday.