They are identified as Sumon Das, 28, and Ashish Chandra Shikder, 25. Both owned separate jewellery shops at Manik Market and Hanu Market in Azimpur respectively.

Sumon's family members also found in the morning that his shop was robbed and around Tk 3 lakh worth of gold and silver jewelleries and Tk 76,000 in cash were looted.

"Early in the morning we saw a goods-laden truck slowed down near the dustbin. The labourers on board then threw the sack and the drum in the dustbin," Shafiq and Lokman, on-duty night guards in the area said, who later informed the police on suspicion.

The bodies were sent to Mitford Hospital morgue for autopsy. The family members of the dead identified the bodies at morgue in the afternoon.

Of the dead, Ashish was slaughtered and dumped inside the drum, while the body of Sumon was found inside the sack with the hands and legs tied. He was strangled to death and there were stab injuries on his cheek and hand, sources said.

Police suspect that the double murder might have taken place sometime before 10 on Tuesday night.

"We suspected something bad had happened when we found the jewellery shop was robbed at about 7:00am. Sumon's cellphone was also found switched off since 11 the previous night," Nitai Das, father of Sumon, said.

Family members of Sumon suspect that the murder might have links with Kamal, a gold businessman in the area, with whom Sumon had financial dealings. Kamal also visited Sumon's jewellery shop at about 8:30pm on Monday, they added.

"Ashish left the shop at about 9:00pm," Ranjan Sutradhar, an employee of Ashish's jewellery shop, said.

A case has been filed with Lalbagh Police Station.