Police on Friday night arrested three criminals with a revolver and 10 rounds of ammunition from Beti Road under Patratu police station of Ramgarh district near the capital.

The three arrested youths, all in their early 20s, were allegedly on way to a forest close to Patratu valley to shoot a person who they had abducted from somewhere in Ranchi. Though police are tight-lipped about the victim’s identity, it seems the person was a police informer on the coal business.

Subdivisional police officer of Patratu P.C. Mahto shared this development through a news release that had the names of the arrested trio — Rahul Kumar Singh, 25, a resident of KK High School area in Bhurkunda, Vicky Ram a.k.a. Vicky Dom, 25, a resident of Sayal and Mohammed Shahid Ansari, 23, also residents of Bhurkunda, in Ramgarh district.

Police did not reveal the name of the person who was abducted for murder or any clues about the victim as the case is still under probe.

“We have to protect the security of the person,” SDPO Mahto said.

Except Ram, against whom a criminal case was registered in 2017 in the district, the other two do not have criminal background. Ansari is a driver hails from Jafarganj in Jehanabad district of Bihar.

Contacted, Ramgarh SP Prabhat Kumar also declined to say more than what was released officially by the police.

A source said that the abduction was the result of gang rivalry between two groups involved in coal business.

“Police swung into action on getting information about the abduction and could save the person who was suspected to be a police informer. The car in which the criminals were carrying their victim had a Bengal registration number (WB02Y-4923) and the police are trying to ascertain its genuineness,” the source said.