Three men were arrested and remanded in judicial custody on the eve of Holi here for a crime which was bizarre and grotesque said sources.

Assistant superintendent of police Palamau K Vijay Shankar said the three — Om Prakash, Rohit Kumar and Devraj Prajapati — torched the electricity and electronic goods shop of Pawan Agrawal on the intervening night of March 26/27.

Shankar said it was to build pressure on Agrawal to cough up money for the trio led by Om Prakash. Shankar said the three had then planned to execute  a letter of extortion to Agrawal who has another shop of medicines here in Daltonganj.

He said the town police acted fast in this case and got caught Om Prakash and the case started unfolding. Shankar said Om Prakash had a grudge against Agrawal as he had withheld his few months’ salary.

They had planned to set up a khataal and for it they needed money and they had set their eyes on this Agrawal. Shankar said the trio was to extract this money from Agrawal but town police led by its officer in charge A K Mahatha aborted their plan and design.

He said police recovered the written but unexecuted  letter of extortion from them.

Sources said the unexecuted  letter of extortion could be challenged in the court of law as it doesn't come under the ambit of the commission of the extortion crime.

A lawyer said this unexecuted letter may be presented in the court of law  as an outlet of deep seated frustration arising out of non-payment of a few months of salary and not as one to extort money from Agrawal.

This lawyer said the three face definite action for their alleged arson in the shop of Agrawal.

The three were sent to jail on the eve of  Holi under sections 387 and 436 of the IPC.