Quick action by police on the East Bank Demerara yesterday resulted in the capture of one of three gunmen who had robbed Salim's Hardware Store of over $250,000 in cash and goods around noon yesterday.

According to reports, police from the Grove Station confronted the bandits in Tank Street, Grove. One was injured and is currently under police guard at the hospital. However, the other two managed to escape.

Salim Khan, 48, proprietor of the store located at 62 Public Road, Herstelling, said he was about to lock up his shop at close to 12 pm when a man approached him with a list of items.

Khan told Stabroek News he went into the store to get the items and while he was going through the list the man ran behind the counter and put a gun to his head. The man's two accomplices, who were not far behind, then entered and held Khan's two employees at gunpoint before leading them into the store also. According to reports there was a fourth man who drove the bandits to the store.

The men put everyone to lie face down on the ground and demanded cash from the proprietor.

They took some $250,000 and a number of phone cards from a cash drawer and a pouch in the store. The bandits also grabbed the man's watch and his cell phone on their way out. They then demanded that the man give them the keys to his SUV. Khan said one of the men then got into the vehicle and was loudly tooting the horn for quite a while before his accomplices ran out and got into the vehicle and made their escape from the scene.

Khan said the incident lasted about ten minutes.

Shortly after, Khan was able to stop a taxi, whose driver he told to follow his SUV. He then made a decision to stop at the Grove Police Station and report the matter. The police at Grove responded quickly and were able to locate the vehicle in Tank Street.

According to reports, the police then confronted the men and one of them was shot. He is now at the Georgetown Hospital under police guard. The other two escaped on foot, leaving Khan's vehicle, which was up to last evening in the Providence Police Station Compound.

A villager said she saw a man get into Khan's vehicle and reverse it onto the road before turning it in a southerly direction. She recalled that the man tooted the horn for a while before another man came out carrying a bag.

She said he got into the vehicle and they drove off. She said if there was a third man she was not able to see him. The woman said she did not even know what was happening until Khan ran out of his store and told them that he had been robbed.

Khan said he wanted a firearm licence or he would leave the country as he did not feel secure without a weapon. 

He related that together with his father he was a licensed firearm holder for 15 years. However, after his father died his licence was revoked.

Since then he has reapplied but has not yet been considered for one.