Three men who were part of a large gang that robbed two commercial banks in Berbice last Friday were gunned down by members of the Joint Services during a shoot-out up the Canje River early yesterday morning.

The men have so far been unidentified and according to reports, two senior police officers from the city have travelled to Berbice to assist with their identification.

Yesterday the Joint Services members also recovered two more AK-47 assault rifles to add to one found on Saturday along with an M-70 rifle.

It has been confirmed that the AK-47's are part of a cache which was stolen from the Guyana Defence Force Headquarters, Camp Ayanganna in February this year.

The ranks also recovered three bags with an undisclosed amount in Guyana currency. A source told Kaieteur News that the amount could be close to $11 million.

A number of magazines as well as ammunition were also found yesterday and on Saturday.

On Friday afternoon the security forces had launched a manhunt for the bank robbers who reportedly used GUYSUCO employees working in the cane fields of Rose Hall as human shields in their getaway. The men eventually crossed the Canje Creek.

That same day three men in a boat in the Canje Creek off Lochaber, West Canje , were arrested by the Joint Services ranks.

One of the men is wanted by the Police in relation to robbery under arms and murder committed in the Enterprise , ECD area last June 1 during which Ramjit Rampersaud called “ Roy ” was fatally shot.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Gail Teixeira said that the present search for the bank robbers will probably be the longest continuous manhunt in Guyana .

“On Sunday, the Joint Services encountered the bandits in difficult swamplands and three were shot and they are dead,” the Minister confirmed.

Kaieteur News understands that one of the men met his demise at Brotherson and the other two at another location. The Joint Service teams are still at a number of locations. A source said that the remaining bank robbers are not far off.

During Saturday the teams spotted the men who were continuing their escape bid several miles up the Canje River in deep jungle.

A source told the Kaieteur News, “They are tired and they started shedding the weight since Friday. They dropped articles of clothing and some other things.”

A police source opined that the members of the gang are disoriented since their plot was foiled when the suspected getaway boat was intercepted on the Canje River not far from Lochaber on Friday.

“They are in swamp up to their necks and if they go further, the water will get deeper,” a source told this newspaper.

Additionally the men's chances of survival appear to be very slim since according to Minister Teixeira, should they engage the Joint Service ranks as they appear to be doing, they will be eliminated.

“If it is possible to catch them then obviously, but if it is impossible then it is shoot to kill. If they're caught in an encounter and it is the lives of the Joint Services men against the bandits, I think you know which way it is going to go,” the Minister told the media.

An aircraft is being used to boost the operation.

Just after 11:00 hours on Friday a gang of heavily armed men stormed the Town of Rose Hall and robbed the Demerara Bank and Republic Bank. The two are located oblique to each other on the Rose Hall Public Road . Some $80 million was said to be removed from both banking institutions.

Human beings were used as road blocks as gunmen forced them to lie across the Corentyne roadway while they pulled off the robbery.

The men arrived in the town from different directions and in small groups. They then took out the guns from bags they had on them. The loot was later placed in jute bags.

The only reported casualty during the robbery was 39-year-old Surujdai Virasammy of Lancaster Villager, Corentyne. She was a customer at the Republic Bank when the men entered.

The woman was shot in the left shoulder. After the bandits fled the scene, she was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she was admitted.

Kaieteur News understands that the banks in Berbice were advised to be on the alert the very morning.

This incident was reminiscent of the reign of terror that gripped Rose Hall Town about three years ago.

Minister Teixeira said that the current Joint Service operation is a two-pronged one, both in the city and its environs, as well as in Berbice.

With regards to identifying the whereabouts of the other missing army weapons, Minister Teixeira said that the work being carried out by the security forces in terms of the persons in custody can be helpful.

The Minister said that the nation is well aware that there has been one particular gang that has been responsible for what she described as the spate of theatrical and high-drama incidents which include executions.

“If we are able to miniaturize that gang or dismantle it then I am certain that we will see a change in the crime profile of Guyana ,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

Teixeira told the media that she believes that some of the events that are taking place and some of the coincidences in relation to the events which have created a sense of deep insecurity are part of a systematic terror campaign.

“I do not believe that the criminals alone are capable of doing that by themselves. There may be others who have an interest. The events of the last 48 hours may help to unravel all of that, to prove me wrong in what I am saying or to prove me right.

“The operations are massive and I am sure that what will come out of it will give greater clarity to that opinion,” Teixeira said.

Meanwhile, the Republic Bank at Rose Hall would remain closed today and tomorrow. The New Amsterdam , Corriverton and Rosignol branches are to function as normal.

Monday 08-14-2006