Gunmen late yesterday afternoon shot and injured an East Coast Demerara (ECD) contractor before relieving him of an undisclosed amount of cash which was to be used to pay workmen at an Eccles, East Bank Demerara worksite.
Up to press time last evening, Ramlochand Omrow, age 43, of Good Hope was still being attended to at the Georgetown Hospital. He sustained one gunshot wound to the chest and another to the hip area. Relatives said that they were unsure of his condition but were told that an x ray was being done to determine the exact location of the bullet.
Contacted, police commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell told the Sunday Stabroek that around 1715 hours Omrow visited the Eccles location to pay workers. The worksite is located on a plot of land behind the Eccles Industrial Site where the government is developing a housing scheme for young professionals.
Brumell said that when the man arrived he was attacked by three gunmen. He said that the men then made good their escape. He added that the police were combing the area for the suspects but according to what this newspaper was told no one has yet been arrested. Several of the workers were up to late last evening being questioned by the police.
When Stabroek News visited the worksite, where about a dozen houses are under construction, one young man said that he heard four gunshots and when he looked out he saw two of the gunmen standing by a parked bus. This newspaper was subsequently asked to leave the location since it was after working hours. Other persons who were there said that they were not there at the time of the incident and as such could not provide any details about what might have transpired.
Persons in the vicinity of the worksite said that they heard several gunshots but because of the distance they were unable to see what was happening. The worksite can be accessed from two points; either through the industrial site or through the roadway that separates Eccles from Bagotstown.
It is unclear how the gunmen arrived or left the area but based on what this newspaper was told they apparently used the roadway that divides the area from Eccles.
It is believed that Omrow was followed by the gunmen who were tipped off that he was in possession of a large amount of cash.
At the hospital, worried relatives converged for an update on his condition. A man who identified himself as a cousin told Stabroek News that Omrow had been one of the contractors for the worksite for about a month now.
The man said that they did not have much detail about what had transpired. “Is just that he get rob”, the man said the gunmen took away some money that he had in his possession. “Two gunmen just come attack and gone with the money and fire shots and they gone”, he said. He said that they are uncertain of his condition but knew that he was responsive.
Omrow’s daughter told this newspaper that she received a telephone call informing her that he had been shot but did not get to see him when she arrived at the hospital.
