Three arrestees during primary interrogation by police yesterday confessed to killing four youths in Shibganj upazila on May 6.

Earlier, Bogra police in separate drives arrested the three from different areas of the upazila on Sunday night.

The arrestees are Jewel Sheikh, 25, of Kathgarar-Chakpara village, Abul Kalam Azad, 48, of Chandanpur village, and Md Rubel, 30, of Duboier village.

Quoting confessional statements of the arrestees, police said nine killers took part in the murder that took place over money got from Yaba trading.

On May 7, police recovered throat-slit bodies of the youths from a paddy field near Duboier Beel area in Shibganj upazila.

The deceased were Jakaria, 35, Shahabul, 30, and Helal Uddin, 32, and Mohammad Khabir, 35.

Police and family members said the slain youths and the killers are all either drug addicts or engaged in Yaba peddling.

According to the confessional statement, the accused planned to punish slain Zakaria and Shahabul as the duo used to buy Yaba pills on credit from local drug peddlers and owed them handsome money.

As per plan, they called Zakaria and Shahabul on May 6, took them near Duboier Beel and hacked them to death.

Two other victims Helal and Khabir were killed for witnessing the two murders as they were on way to Dhaka through the Beel area.