Two men from Hengelo have confessed to killing an elderly couple at their home in Exloo and another man who was walking his dog in woods six months later, the public prosecution department said on Wednesday.

The couple were killed in their home at the end of July last year. The killers stole their bank cards and used them to withdraw cash in Assen. The other man was killed six months later in broad daylight. His bank card, too, was stolen.

Police managed to link dna traces found at the crime scene with one of the men from Hengelo. Telephone taps led investigators to the second suspect and both men were arrested in March.

They have since confessed to the murders, the public prosecution department said.