According to reports reaching the Chronicle, at about 09:10 hours the minibus was heading to Georgetown when a lad about 15 years old flagged the bus.

When the vehicle stopped and the conductor opened the door, the youth reportedly drew a gun and started shouting for the passengers to put their hands up. The youthful robber apparently chose the moment when traffic was light and when no other vehicle was immediately behind the one stopped, the Chronicle learnt.

At that point two masked men, one of them with a large gun, emerged from the opposite street and joined the youth in robbing the passengers, some of whom were on their way to church. The man with the large gun stood by looking rather fierce the Chronicle was told, while the youngest bandit continued making a lot of noise.

One of the masked men then pulled out the keys from the ignition and left with them following the attack.

No one was seriously injured, but the conductor was reportedly hit several times by the youth.

The trio left, running south, with the loot collected from the passengers during the five-minute ordeal, but it was unclear whether the conductor gave up the fares collected to that point of the day.

One of the passengers, however, stood his ground and refused to give up his money or take any orders given.

The passengers then had to come out of the bus to seek other means of arriving at their destinations. About four minutes later, an Army patrol came up and reportedly spoke to one of the passengers.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has intensified its operations in the area following attacks at the Vigilance Police Station and the shooting deaths of persons at Buxton on Thursday night and Friday morning, respectively.

The GDF said it was doing its utmost to ensure the safety of persons travelling through that area and Major Hubert Muesa had noted that the Army's heightened presence there serves to renew public confidence in the capability of the Army and to allow the effective flow of traffic in and out of the area.