One arrested after gunmen invade nursery school, rob woman

Two gunmen held up a woman at the Tuschen Nursery School yesterday and robbed her of a gold band.

According to police, Parandai Ramroop, 33, of Tuschen Housing Scheme, was attacked and robbed by two men. The incident occurred at about 12.40pm yesterday, at the East Bank Essequibo location. Ramroop was in the school when the men entered and choked her and took away a gold band that she was wearing and escaped on bicycles, police said.

As the perpetrators were escaping, an alarm was raised and members of the Tuschen Community Policing Group responded and gave chase. They were deterred after one of the men pulled a firearm from his waist and pointed it in their direction, after which they escaped into the neighbouring village of Vergenoegen.

At about 2.30pm, police confronted two men, who fitted the descriptions of the suspects, sitting on a bridge at Vergenoegen. The police arrested one of the men while the other ran away and was pursued by the ranks. The fleeing man discharged two rounds from a firearm at the police who returned fire, but he managed to escape.

D Division Commander Balram Persaud told Stabroek News yesterday afternoon that police were still hunting for the man who escaped. No one was injured during the exchange of gunfire, he said.

The man who was arrested, Persaud said, did not have a firearm in his possession.