TWO men whose bodies were found in an isolated East Lothian field had been shot in a gangland-style killing before being set on fire, it was revealed yesterday.

The bodies of 25-year-old Mr John Henry Nisbet, from Craigneuk, Wishaw, and Mr William Lindsay, 26, from Motherwell, were found early on Wednesday morning.

It is believed the two men were known to the police and four senior detectives with knowledge of drug dealers in Wishaw and Motherwell have been drafted in to help with the inquiry.

Meanwhile, Strathclyde Police, who have been called in to help Lothian and Borders Police with the East Lothian investigation, yesterday launched a separate murder inquiry after the body of a man was found in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire.

Mr David Ferguson, 19, of Main Street, Bellshill was found on a footpath near the railway line off Calder Road late on Wednesday afternoon.

It is believed he had been stabbed. Police said it was too early to say whether there was a link with the East Lothian deaths, but did not rule it out.

At a news conference in Dalkeith yesterday, Detective Superintendent Pat Byrne of Lothian and Borders Police, who is heading the 60-strong murder team, said there had been tentative sightings of the two men in Motherwell and Wishaw the evening before their bodies were found.

Post-mortem examinations revealed the men had died from gunshot wounds. Mr Byrne refused to say how many bullets were used, but it is believed at least one of the men had been shot in the head.

He said forensic scientists and scene of crime officers were still trying to establish whether the men had been killed elsewhere before being dumped in the field beside the B6414, west of Elphinstone, or whether they had died at the scene.

Both men had been doused in petrol and set alight in what is believed was an attempt to hide their identities. Police had to rely on fingerprints for identification.

Mr Byrne said the only known links the men had with East Lothian was through family, and ruled out any connection with the murder of Mr Steven Brown in Tranent in February this year.

He refused to speculate on whether the deaths of Mr Nisbet and Mr Lindsay were related to drugs.

''We are keeping an open mind as to the motive,'' he said. ''It is too early to speculate. At the end of the day, two men have been shot. You can put your own interpretation on that. It's not an everyday occurrence.''

Mr Nisbet lived with his parents, John and Betsy, and sisters, Samantha and Charlotte, in Laurel Drive on the Craigneuk scheme in Wishaw, which has been at the centre of violent gang wars escalating into numerous shootings, a hand-grenade attack, and street riots.

Strathclyde Police yesterday drafted additional officers into the Craigneuk area. A spokesman said: ''Additional high-profile uniformed officers will be in the Wishaw area to augment the already strong police links with the local community.'' Mr Lindsay, who lived with his parents, Tom and Betty, in Kildonan Place, Motherwell, was yesterday described as a quiet, single man who enjoyed tinkering with his car.

Mr Ferguson's body was found by a woman walking her dog on a footpath near the Scottish Lithuanian Social Club and a children's playpark in Bellshill.

A post-mortem examination to establish the cause of his death was being carried out yesterday.

Detective Inspector Alan Welsh, who is in charge of the investigation, appealed for information from anyone in the area of the footpath, or travelling on eastbound trains between Bellshill and New Stevenson stations on Tuesday or Wednesday and saw anything suspicious.

Motherwell and Wishaw MP Frank Roy said the murders were particularly brutal and said drugs were a scourge on ordinary families in ordinary housing schemes. He appealed to people not to take the law into their own hands, warning that innocent families could get caught up in revenge acts or a drugs war.