THREE men who dared to open fire on the police, following a failed robbery attempt at Betsy Ground, Canje Berbice, yesterday were moments later, wounded in retaliatory fire by a joint police  patrol, and are now patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) under guard.   The incident happened after midnight Sunday. The three wounded men are:  Deodat Seecharran called ‘Popcorn,’ 20 , of Edinburgh Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice –  shot to his left side buttocks; Zafir Abdul, 22, of Adelphi Housing Scheme, Canje –  shot to his left side hip; and Keshwar Harrinarine, 31 years of Fyrish, Corentyne – shot to his right side buttocks.  They were initially taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but were later referred to the GPHC.

A police report said that around 01:00 hours yesterday the three men attempted to break into the home of Guysuco Field Foreman Rajesh Parasram, 41, of Betsy Ground, Canje, Berbice.   Parasram who was aroused by the sounds being made, raised an alarm and the three men fled, discharging a round in the direction of the house in the process.
 
The community policing group in the area was alerted and they, in turn alerted the police and then  mobilised themselves in search of the men.  The police responded quickly to the report received and began hunting for the men.

 While combing the area on foot, the ranks came under fire from the bandits who were in the compound of a Mandir in the vicinity. The police returned fire, but the men managed to escape from the compound and headed in the direction of the backdam.
 
Back-up ranks were summoned and the police continued their pursuit of the men who were eventually caught in the Betsy Ground Cemetery.  For a second time, they opened fire on the police. On this occasion, the police returned fire injuring all three men in the process.

The police recovered a number of shotgun pellets from the residence of Rajesh Parasram and a shotgun barrel along with an empty 12-gauge shotgun casing at the cemetery.
 
A man who is suspected to have been the driver of the motor car used by the bandits has been arrested after he was found in the vicinity and the motor vehicle was seized.
 
Investigations are in progress. (Shirley Thomas)