He had been employed by Jagmohan and Sons, of Hampton Court, also on Essequibo Coast, to purchase raw gold from porkknockers and other miners.

His wife, 21-year-old Gaitree Rabindranauth told the Guyana Chronicle that he left home about one month ago but spoke to her by telephone around 19:05h the day he died.

According to her, Mangra said he would be returning home for his birthday on May 28.

The grieving widow said, the telephone rang minutes later and she was shocked to hear her husband, whom she loved dearly, had been gunned down by bandits.

Mangra and another man were packing up stocks in their shop when two gunmen burst through the door and fired at them.

Mangra was wounded in the stomach and collapsed but the other man escaped unhurt and the robbers fled with $3M in cash and gold, officials said.

Robbers fled with $3M in cash and gold

The shot man was flown to Georgetown Saturday night.

Rabindranauth described her husband as very friendly, loving and kind said he was her best friend.

She said they had known each other for four years before they got married last August.

She had attended Abram Zuil Secondary School and he was a student of Anna Regina Multilateral School but they met while attending Essequibo Technical Institute at Anna Regina in 2001 and also worshipped at Reliance mandir together.

With tears running down her cheeks, Rabindranauth said she will miss the dead man who was a dedicated husband and a "very wonderful person".