Chhapra, Jan. 13: Two private road construction employees were shot dead at the company's base camp in Saran district late last night with police suspecting that the assailants were known to the victims.

The murder was discovered when the woman who would cook for officials at the construction company base camp came to work this morning, and raised an alarm on seeing the bodies.

Dharmaveer Kumar, the manager of Shristi Development Company Ltd, and Lalbabu Mishra, the accountant, were both shot from behind, and purportedly in their sleep because the police found no sign of resistance at the crime spot in the district, around 80km northwest of Patna.

Sonepur sub-divisional police officer Mohammad Ali Ansari said the company was engaged in the construction of 12km stretch road from Derni to Dighwara in Saran district. The base camp is at Bishwanathpur, around 35km east of Chhapra, the district headquarters town. Ansari denied the involvement of any Maoist outfit in the murder.

The police said Dharmaveer was a resident of Rukunpura in Patna while Lalbabu was from Matihani in Begusarai district. Ansari added the duo were the only people staying at the base camp last night, and the other officials had not reached work by the time the cook discovered the bodies.

Saran superintendent of police Pankaj Kumar Raj, who visited the crime spot this morning, ruled out extortion as well. "The local police had not received any complaint regarding extortion from the company," he told The Telegraph over phone.

"The nature of the crime doesn't suggest it to be the handiwork of Maoists or murder for extortion," he said. "Both the persons were shot from behind. Dharmaveer was shot in the back of his head and the firm accountant was shot in the back. The two died on the spot."

To buttress his point, Raj added that the assailants did not touch Rs 90,000 manager Dharmaveer had in cash with him at the spot. "Prima facie it seems the killers were known to the deceased," he added.

Saran deputy inspector-general Ajit Kumar Rai also visited the spot. The police recovered five cartridges from the spot. A team of forensic experts collected evidence to assist the local police in the investigation, and a sniffer dog was also pressed into service.

So far, the police have failed to nab any accused in the case.