OVERSEAS-based Ramesh Puran, who succumbed to gunshot injuries he sustained when four masked and armed bandits invaded the Belvedere, Corentyne home at which he was a guest on May 14, died from shock and haemorrhage, according to a post-mortem conducted on his body by Dr. Vivikanand Brijmohan at the Port Mourant Hospital.

Eight pellets have been extracted from his body, and investigators say a pistol was used during the attack.

Puran, resident in the United States of America, arrived in his homeland on May 8, and was expected to return to the USA on May 22; but on May 14, at 21:15 hr, his cousin Devika Ramotar was in the kitchen, housed in the lower flat of the two-storey building, when four marked men invaded the premises through an open door.
One of the men was armed with a cutlass, while each of the other accomplices had a handgun.

Ramotar was forcefully taken to the upper flat, where Pooran was relaxing. There the cutlass wielding bandit inflicted a chop to the left side of the visitor’s neck and another on his shoulder, as demands were made for jewels.

Ten gold finger rings were removed from Puran’s fingers as screams for help emanated from Ramotar. The attackers then inflicted two chops to her head before firing a warning shot to dissuade persons from attempting to come to her rescue.

About five minutes after their arrival, the men fled the scene on foot, heading in a northerly direction which leads to the seaside. Thereafter, the injured persons were taken to the Port Mourant Hospital, where Ramotar was treated and sent away while Pooran was pronounced dead by a doctor on duty.

Investigations are ongoing.