Kitty money-changer robbed, shot Attackers were ‘neatly dressed’

A 19-year-old money-changer is thankful to be alive after one of two gunmen shot him in the abdomen yesterday morning before they escaped with the $300,000 in local and foreign currency that he had in his pants pocket.

At the time of the incident, Parsram Parmanand, a resident of  Lot 37 Owen Street, Kitty was about to leave for work.

He was admitted a patient of the open ward of the Georgetown Hospital yesterday afternoon after surgery earlier did not locate the bullet. It is not clear if or when an attempt will be made to remove the bullet. Doctors are monitoring Parmanand’s condition closely.

When Stabroek News visited the medical institution just before 5 pm, the man had just been taken up to the ward. He was surrounded by relatives. His abdomen was heavily bandaged and he was taking saline.

Still in pain, Parmanand managed to recount his ordeal which occurred shortly after 8 am. According to him, he had just finished preparing for work and stepped outside to put on his boots when he saw two men “neatly dressed” standing at his gate.

He said that one of the men asked “who is home?” and he turned and asked him “who would you like to meet?”
Following that exchange of words, one of the men opened the gate and proceeded into the yard, he said, adding that he told the men that persons could not walk into the yard just like that.

“The one in front pulled out a gun from his waist and said, don’t call out and give us what you have”, he said. Fearing for the safety of his sister who was inside he took $300, 000, inclusive of $50, 000 in foreign currency and handed it to the gunman.
Alarmed that the men might attempt to enter the house, Parmanand pushed the gunman two times and it was at this point that he was shot in the abdomen.

The men were standing inches away from Parmanand. Following the shooting the men fled on foot.
Police have since recovered a .25 spent shell just outside Parmanand’s door where the shooting took place.
The young man told this newspaper that he would usually leave his home between 8 and 8:30 every morning but yesterday he was running a bit late.

He said that he had been in the money-changing business for nearly three years and was never a victim of a robbery.
Meanwhile a relative said that the incident came as a great shock while recalling a similar situation a few months ago when a man was shot and killed in Owen Street.

Relatives said that from all appearances it was a well-planned attacked because the men came at a time when Parmanand was preparing to leave home.

One relative said that she received word of the incident at her work place and when she arrived on the scene, Parmanand who was in obvious pain was in a crouched position slowly walking towards a taxi.

This is the second time in recent months that a money-changer has been shot and robbed during a well-planned attacked.
Last December, Orson Thompson, who operates on America Street was shot and injured by two gunmen who robbed him of an undisclosed amount of local and foreign currencies and his licensed firearm seconds after he arrived home.

The men who were hiding behind a minibus parked near the entrance to Thompson’s home pounced on him as he was opening his gate.