In a withering gun attack, three ranks from one Police patrol vehicle that had just escorted President Bharrat Jagdeo to the Albion senior staff compound, fled from their vehicle, while the driver decided to re-enter and speed away movie-style.

A Policeman, who, along with a Chinese national was locked in the cell of the Police outpost by the gunmen, managed to escape 30 minutes later, and he slept on a tree until daylight.

The dead Policemen are Ramphal Pardat called Clifton, 52, of Lot 106, Ghanpat Street, Rose Hall Town, and Outar Kissoon, 46, of Number 52 Village, also on the Corentyne.

Pardat leaves to mourn his beloved wife of 26 years, Taramattie Devi, 46, along with six children - Devendra, 29, Natasha, 25, Vanesssa, 15, Maduri, 21, Tulsedai, 20 and Lakram 18.

Kissoon, who was only five months ago re-employed with the Police Force, leaves to mourn his wife Bhagwandai, 42, and sons Chandradat, 21, Jagdat, 19 and Satesh, four.

Essequibo resident Balram Khandai, 18, was an observer at the just concluded People's Progressive Party (PPP) 27th Congress, held at Port Mourant, and was killed when the men opened fired on the vehicle he was driving.

Constables Pardatt and Ramesh Chetram were on the duty at the Rose Hall Police outpost when a gang of six men attacked them just after midnight, witnesses said.

According to a senior officer attached to the New Amsterdam Police Station, at around midnight, he and other Policemen had just escorted President Jagdeo, who had been attending the PPP Congress, to the Albion Estate senior staff compound when they responded to a call that the Chinese restaurant a fence away from the Police outpost was being robbed.

He said that as soon as they arrived on the scene, a hail of gunfire from two directions greeted them.

Constable Kissoon, who was attached to the Whim Police station, was fatally shot in the head during the crossfire. He was at the back of a Police patrol vehicle along with Lance Corporal Williams, who was shot in a leg.

As the bandits fired wildly, the four Policemen who were in the Police car exited the vehicle. Three of the ranks crawled away across drains. One narrowly escaped a bullet in the back, reports said.

The senior Policeman said he decided to re-enter the car, as the men might have wanted a vehicle to carry out further attacks. As he entered the car, a gunshot knocked his hat off and he flipped the back of the car seat down and in that lying position, without seeing anything, stepped on the vehicle accelerator and sped away, he said.

"It was a fight and we did answer to the call of service and protection", the officer said.

Earlier, one of the bandits dressed as a member of the Police 'Black Clothes Squad', had ordered Chinese restaurant proprietor Dai Hong Feng out of his business premises, claiming that he was wanted at the outpost which is just next door.

Feng, who operates the Jen Fu Chinese restaurant, said he was serving customers from the bar when he noticed that someone looking like a "Black Clothes" Police carrying "a long rifle" had entered his premises.

"They said they wanted me at the station, so I went across", Feng related.

He said that while at the outpost he saw four other men dressed like the "Black Clothes" Police, who suddenly ordered him not to scream "and everything will be alright". He said they proceeded to remove his gold chain valued $35,000 from his neck along with cash totalling $145,000 which was in his trousers pocket.

At about that time the gunmen had already been holding the ranks on duty at gunpoint.

Feng said he and Constable Chetram were placed in the lockup at the outpost, while Constable Pardat was held hostage. The men cut off all communication links, including telephone lines and radio.

Chetram was relieved of his uniform and revolver. Pardatt was forced to accompany the men to where they eventually escaped via the Atlantic Ocean.

Given the timing of the events, it appears that after the attack on the Police outpost, the gang then attacked the premises of two businessmen who are brothers and who live in the same yard at Rose Hall.

According to Mohammed Shamsudeen Afiz, he was awakened by footsteps on his stairway at around 12:45 a.m. He said his wife noticed strange persons and on looking closer recognised them to be bandits.

The heavily grilled building, and power locks on the front door did not deter the men, who used a chainsaw to gain access to the home, he said.

The dry goods businessman said that on hearing the chainsaw, his wife, daughter and grandson left the building through another stairway, and in doing so heard rapid gunfire.

Afiz, who said he went into hiding, recalled seeing two bandits going to the back house occupied by his older brother Sheik Hussain and his wife Hema.

The men ransacked the home and took away about $250,000 cash, he said.

Afiz's wife and his daughter Farena and grandson Jaraad, who arrived in Guyana last week on vacation, were held up outside the house by the bandits.

Sheik Hussain, 55 and his wife, Hema, 48, are currently patients at the Port Mourant Hospital where they are nursing injuries.

Following this attack, the men then proceeded to the NBIC bank where two security guards were robbed at gunpoint of two revolvers, 12 rounds of ammunition and a communications set.

Later, a security guard at the Laparkan store, also at Rose Hall, was shot in the head and is hospitalised, Police reported.

After these attacks, the gunmen then apparently forced Constable Pardat to lead them to the koker at the head of the dam in the area that leads to the Atlantic Ocean.

According to a nearby resident, at around 01:30 hrs, he was awakened by the sounds of gunshots just in front of his house. He said that when he peeped out his window, he saw a group of about 15 men walking towards the ocean.

Four were dressed in white while the others had on black. All were dressed in bulletproof vests marked `Police', he said.

According to the eyewitness, he then observed two men scampering away in the opposite direction to where the men were going, while someone was lying on the ground motionless.

The man lying on the ground, as identified by Police, was Constable Pardat, whose body was riddled with bullets. A Police source said he was killed execution style when a gun was apparently pointed upward to his chin and fired off.

When the bandits reached the koker, they reportedly tied up the watchman on duty before they made good their escape.

Ramoo, an eyewitness, reported that after the bandits had escorted the Chinese national to the outpost, five other armed men entered the Jen Fu Restaurant at Williamsburg, and ordered customers to lie on the ground.

The witness said the men were relieved of cash and jewellery before the bandits escaped.

Residents said the Police were no match to the bandits who sported high-powered rifles such as AK-47 and M-70.

Taramattie Pardat, wife of the slain Policeman, said her husband left home at about 19:30 hrs to walk to work about 100 yards away. She said that at about 12:15 a.m. while looking at television, she heard rapid gunfire and tried telephoning the outpost, but heard a scrambling sound.

"I panicked and became a bit fearful and decided to telephone Whim and Albion Police stations, but the telephones were 'ringing out'", she said.

As gunfire continued, the wife said she quickly turned off all her lights.

"I then felt bullets in the house, and on the roof. I rushed with the children in the back bedroom and we all hugged each other."

She recalled receiving a telephone call at 05:00 hrs from Constable Ramesh Chetram, who asked her about her husband's whereabouts. She said Chetram told her that while they were on duty, loud music was coming from the Chinese restaurant and he (Chetram) went over to request that they lower it, and on returning to the outpost, Dai Hong Feng was brought by bandits who removed her husband's six finger rings along with a gold band with the name `Parda'. The jewellery weighed 54 pennyweights.

Taramattie said that on hearing this, she subsequently visited Albion Police Station where she was told that her husband had been shot in his chin.

She recalled it was just six weeks ago that they left Black Bush Polder where they had resided for many years, to live closer to the outpost where her husband worked for some years.

"The transportation cost was high, and at Black Bush there was no electricity, so we decided to come to Rose Hall to have a better life", she sobbed.

Residents said they were defenceless.

At the home of Constable Kissoon, a black flag hung from a pole outside the house he used to live. His wife Bhagwandai could hardly keep back the tears as she related that her husband joined the Police 21 years ago. She said it was only five months ago that her husband rejoined the Force after being away for a number of years.

Relatives said they feel a lot of pain, anger and grief, not only for Kissoon's death but for all those who were brutally murdered.

They want the authorities to "stop talking" and "start acting".

Kissoon had planned on attending his 19-year-old son's graduation from the Guyana School of Agriculture this Friday.

His four-year-old son was yesterday constantly watching every vehicle on the road to see when his father would be home.

Zohara Afiz told this paper that she is lucky to be alive and was high in praise to God who she said heard her prayers and protected her.

But, her husband Mohammed said he felt timid and would remember the ordeal, which lasted one hour, for a long time.

He expressed disgust with the increase in crime and said, "I just feel like packing and leaving". He, nevertheless, praised the Police for their quick response, although they were no match for the bandits.

Meanwhile, Hema Hussain related from her hospital bed that after the bandits left the front house, they proceeded to where her family resided. She recalled that although her home was secured, the bandits used a chainsaw to gain access from the verandah.

Tearfully, she remembered being beaten with the butt of the gun as the bandits who had ordered her to lie on the floor proceeded to ransack the bedroom.

She recalled seeing five men, all dressed as members of the 'Black Clothes Police'. They also had on bulletproof vests. She said that although she gave them the jewellery she had, they continued to beat her with the weapon until she lost consciousness.

Sheik Hussain said although the bandits were given money and jewellery totaling some $500,000 along with an undisclosed amount in foreign currency, the bandits continued to hit him all over his body.

"They told me that was not enough; they lashed me on my head, and I too lost consciousness." He said that on regaining consciousness he saw his wardrobe broken into, while his wife was lying on the floor bleeding profusely from a head injury.

"I saw death last night, I begged the Almighty to save me" said Hussain, as he recalled seeing three of the men dressed in Army camouflage, while two were in black.