A Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara man was yesterday shot while resisting bandits during a robbery attempt at his store.
Pritipaul Dhanpaul, 54, was afterward taken to a private city hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the slug from his right shoulder. He is currently in a stable condition and is due to be discharged sometime today.
Dhanpaul, the proprietor of P. Dhanpaul Sons and Daughter Variety Store, which is located on the Pouderoyen Public Road, was shot during a scuffle with the bandits.
Police said that five men, two of whom were armed with handguns, tried to rob Dhanpaul at about 11:15am yesterday. The men escaped in a waiting vehicle after shooting him.
A close family member, who asked not to be named, told Stabroek News that at the time of the attack Dhanpaul was in the shop, situated on the ground flat of his home, when the five came in pretending to be sheltering from the rain. They enquired about an item on sale and when the man came near the grilled counter to hand them their purchase, they stretched through the small delivery opening and placed a gun to his head.
The bandits demanded that he open the shop but the man put up resistance, scuffling with them all the while through the grillwork, and he managed to injure one with a knife that he had. It was then that he was shot in his right shoulder and as he fell to the ground the men made good their escape.
Members of Dhanpaul’s family, on hearing the gunshot, rushed to his aid and he was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. However, after doctors there informed his family that he would have to undergo surgery to remove the warhead, family members opted to take him to the private hospital.
The relative informed that nothing was taken from the store.
Neighbours recalled that it was raining heavily at the time of the attack and they did not see what happened as they were all indoors. However, one person recalled hearing the sound of “a cold squib” and looked out but saw nothing suspicious.
