Guwahati: The death toll in the shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati’s Bora Service area rose to five, with police arresting the accused and suspecting a dispute over the hotel’s lease agreement as the motive behind the attack.
The shooting took place at around 9 pm on October 26 at Bora Service. Six people sustained gunshot injuries, of whom five later succumbed, while the sixth remains under treatment at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta confirmed that the accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, had been arrested and the firearm allegedly used in the shooting seized.
According to Mahanta, preliminary investigations suggest that the firing followed a dispute between the hotel’s owners and the person who had leased the property. Gogoi had reportedly held the hotel’s lease for around a year.
The police commissioner said the accused was apprehended within an hour of the incident. A .32-calibre pistol suspected to have been used in the attack has been recovered, and the accused is being questioned.
The victims were reportedly associated with the hotel owners’ side. Four of the five deceased belonged to the same family, while the fifth was from their village. The injured survivor was also from the same village, Mahanta said.
Hotel owner Helena B Bharali and her son, Debarshi Kashyap, residents of Senduri Ali near Guwahati’s Zoo Road, were reported to be among those killed. Another victim was identified in media reports as Narayan Das, aged 48. Satyendra Pathak was reported to be receiving treatment at GMCH.
Police have said the identities of the deceased would be formally confirmed after verification. The investigation remains at a preliminary stage, with scientific examination and further inquiries underway to establish the sequence of events and determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.