BUILDING contractor Harrygobin Persaud was on Thursday shot twice and up to press time hospitalised at a private city hospital, after he was cornered by a motor car and CG motorcycle and robbed just after leaving a city bank.The Guyana Chronicle learnt that Persaud, a contractor working at the Winsor Estate housing development project, had just withdrawn $1.2 million to pay his workers when the men cornered him at a bridge in Eccles as he was heading back to the construction site. He told investigators that as he was heading over the bridge, a car came up immediately behind him and blocked him from reversing, while two men on a motor cycle approached him and demanded the money that he had just withdrawn.

The man said that he told them he had no money and he was shot in the left arm; when asked again he repeated the denial and was again shot, this time in the leg. He eventually yielded and handed over the money to the men on the CG motorcycle, by which time the motor car had already left the scene.

The police are of the view that the men were tipped off by workers at the construction site and an investigation is in progress.

Meanwhile, the police yesterday reported that two men entered the business premises of a Mahaicony businessman, 63 year old Gopaul Bridgenandan armed with a handgun and robbed him.

The police said that the men held up the businessman, struck him to the head and took away a quantity of gold jewellery valued at $6 million and 1100 USD along with $780,000 Guyana currency.

The men then fled the scene, discharging three rounds as they fled and entered a motorcar.An investigation into that matter is under way also.

(Leroy Smith)