The dead were identified as SM Alamgir Hossain, 50, an importer having two showrooms at the city's Polwell market, Amir Hossain, 20 and Mansur Alam Titu alias Tarun, 30.

In Paltan, unidentified gunmen shot dead Alamgir in the early hours.

Billal Hossain, security guard of the apartment building where Alamgir lived, told The Daily Star, "I saw him (Alamgir) going out to say his Fazr prayers at dawn. A few minutes later, hearing two gun shots, I opened the gate again to see what had happened." At that point, Alamgir ran back into the building and collapsed, Billal added.

He was then rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where on-duty doctors declared him dead.

Contacted, Alamgir's family sources could not say anything about the motive behind the killing. Paltan police suspect that he might have been killed due to business-related feuds.

Meanwhile, President of Polwel Super Market Shop Owners' Association A Kayyum Talukder Moni told The Daily Star, "Alamgir had no enemy that we know of, but he was uncompromising and used to protest misdeeds."

Protesting the killing, the businessmen of the market wore black badges and blockaded the Naya Paltan road for nearly half an hour in the afternoon. They also demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the killers.

Locals said that a few days back, his son's mobile phone was hijacked and the police arrested the local muggers. They suspect that the muggers might kill him in an act of revenge.

Mahbubur Rahman, the dead's younger brother, filed a murder case with Paltan Police Station.

Meanwhile, an angry mob beat up Amir severely at Dakkhin Banasri in Khilgaon suspecting him to be a criminal and handed him over to police. Later on, police sent critically injured Amir to DMCH. He succumbed to his injuries at around 8:00pm.

In Mohammadpur, Tarun was shot by a group of three gunmen at Jakir Hossain Road. Police rushed him to the DMCH where on-duty doctors declared him dead. The deceased had marks of bullet at his head, hospital sources said.

A resident of the Tajmahal Road, Tarun had criminal records, police said adding that he might have been killed due to some internal feud of his gang. His attackers, however, managed to escape.

In another incident in Mirpur-2, three people, including a security guard were left bullet-hit when three unidentified gunmen opened fire near the Postal Industries indiscriminately at about 4:00pm.

The injured --- Mizanur Rahman, 35, his brother-in-law Bacchu Hawlader and the security guard Abdul Hye Munshi, 55, were admitted to the DMCH.