A Glencoe family is mourning the death of Warrant Officer Niren Ramsaroop (40), who was killed while on duty in Empangeni yesterday while bravely returning fire to an armed robber who had already shot him in the chest.

Warrant Officer  Ramsaroop, who was  stationed at the Empangeni SAPS, was on duty in a police vehicle and patrolling the Empangeni CBD with his colleagues when they were approached by three women who reported to them that two men  had just been robbed of a bag containing R110 000  in cash.

The women alleged that they withdrew stokvel money from a local bank and were accosted by the men shortly after they had left the bank.

Warrant Officer Ramsaroop spotted one of the men and managed to grab hold of him. The man then produced a firearm and shot the police officer in chest.

The injured member managed to return fire and shot the suspect, wounding him in his leg. Warrant Officer Ramsaroop succumbed to the gunshot wound to his chest a short while later. The injured robbery (41) was transported to hospital where he remains under police guard. His firearm, a 7.65mm pistol, with its serial number erased, was recovered at the scene.

The second suspect, an unidentified man managed to flee the scene with a bag containing the cash. A manhunt is underway for the second suspect.

Police officers at the Empangeni Police Station where shocked when they heard of the death of their colleague and a number of police officers rushed to the police station when they heard of the incident.

They described Warrant Officer Ramsaroop as a dedicated police officer who was always in the frontline of crime fighting initiatives. The veteran police officer who hails from Glencoe  has been a member of the police service for the past twenty-one years.

The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni has requested detectives not to rest until the outstanding suspect is brought in. “I want to urge the outstanding suspect to hand himself over and he should not even try to enjoy himself with his ill-gotten gains as he will be behind bars soon. I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Warrant Officer Ramsaroop. He has been a committed and hard-working member of the SAPS and his superiors speak very highly of him. We are all saddened by his loss,” she said.