A supervisor attached to BK International was robbed of $3M cash and shot near the compound of the Ministry of Finance on Main Street yesterday afternoon.
John Brian, 29, sustained a gunshot injury to his right thigh and was taken to the Georgetown Public Hopsital (GPH). He was undergoing emergency surgery up to late yesterday afternoon but his condition was listed as stable.
The robbery occurred around 12.55 pm, while Brian was walking on Urquhart Street, North Cummingsburg. He had just visited a city bank to conduct a transaction.
The Guyana Police Force, in a press release, said investigations have revealed that Brian was walking on Urquhart Street heading in a western direction when two bandits, one of whom was armed with a handgun, exited a white Toyota Premio and approached him.
Brian, the police said, became afraid and ran to the Ministry of Finance’s gate, where he threw a haversack, which was reported to contain $3M in cash, into the compound.
“The suspects went into the compound, collected the bag and were exiting when the victim tried retrieving same and in the process, the armed suspect discharged his firearm in his direction, hitting him to his right thigh,” the release said.
The bandits made good their escape in the car, which reportedly carried a false number plate with the registration number PSS 4570.
Up to press time, no arrests had been made by police.
The attack was the second robbery in less than a month in the vicinity of the ministry.
Last month, a Better Hope, East Coast Demerara businessman and his employee were robbed of $2.5M, moments after they too had visited a city bank.
At the time of that attack, the men were in a Toyota Hilux pick-up awaiting the traffic light in front of the Ministry of Finance on Main Street to proceed. No arrest was made in that case.
Attacks on persons after visiting banks have raised continuing questions about whether they are being identified as targets while in the banks or are simply trailed from outside the banks because they appear to be carrying large sums.
