Gunmen travelling by boat on the Demerara River invaded Wieting and Richter Limited early yesterday morning and terrorized workers during a one-hour ordeal before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash from a safe and a gun taken from a security guard.

About seven workers were bound with rope, while the guard who was relieved of his firearm sustained minor injuries to his face when a gunman shot at him.

From all appearances, the armed bandits might have had inside information as they knew where to locate the safe with the money and also walked with equipment to torch the metal chest.

When Stabroek News arrived at the scene several hours after the robbery police were busy carrying out investigations.

A top official at the Water Street company told Stabroek News that from reports, around 3 am three men armed with handguns went by river to the back of the complex. They held up four security guards and three company employees.

The official said he was not sure if the men were masked, but added that the gunmen warned their victims not to look at them.

He said the workers were later tied up and the men who took their torching equipment proceeded into the building.

The official said the men torched a safe in an office and removed a sum of cash. He said he did not know how much money was taken. But according to reports received by this newspaper the bandits escaped with about $500,000.

They spent approximately one hour in the compound before escaping with their booty by boat, the official said.

The official added that one of the security guards received injuries to his ear and face when a bullet grazed his ear. He was not seriously injured, the official said.

That security guard was later relieved of his firearm. This newspaper was told that he was the only armed security guard on the premises.

This latest attack on the business community comes less than a week after the owner of National Hardware (Guyana) Limited Edward Boyer called on business persons to come together to help fight the increasing number of gun crimes being committed against businesses.

This plea came less than 24 hours after he too suffered losses when bandits struck a stone's throw from his hardware store in Industrial Site, Ruimveldt.

In that incident around 4.30 pm a minibus with an armed guard onboard was on its way to a city bank with over $1 million in cash from the store when a car blocked its path as it was about to cross a bridge.

The two bandits who were unmasked escaped with a bag containing the money and also relieved the guard of his firearm before jumping into their car and speeding off in the direction of Georgetown.

Although police investigations were launched no one has since been arrested.

Earlier this month, armed men attacked the staff of Sanjay's Jewellery Store on Sheriff Street, shortly after opening hours and escaped with millions of dollars in gold and diamond jewellery. Several days after the robbery, the security guard, who showed up late for work that day, was held by the police.