Guwahati: Jonmoni Gogoi, wife of the prime accused in the Hotel Bilas Inn shooting that killed five people, surrendered before Dhemaji Police on Saturday after remaining untraceable since the October 26 incident.
Police had been searching for Jonmoni and the couple’s children after Ghanakanta Gogoi allegedly instructed them to flee before surrendering. Investigators are expected to question her about the events leading up to the shooting and the financial dispute over the hotel’s lease.
The shooting took place at Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area along Guwahati’s GS Road. Ghanakanta, who had leased the hotel, allegedly opened fire with his licensed .32-bore pistol following an altercation.
The five deceased were hotel owner Helena Bharali, her son Devarshi Kashyap, his wife Riniki Kashyap, family relative Narayan Das and Helena’s brother Bhudev Bharali. Satyendra Pathak was also injured in the shooting and admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment.
Guwahati Police arrested Ghanakanta within an hour of the shooting and seized the weapon. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was later formed to probe the case.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court, on Tuesday, remanded him to seven days of police custody after investigators sought 10 days for questioning. He is being interrogated by the SIT at Latasil Police Station and is scheduled to be produced before the court again on November 3.
Ghanakanta has claimed that he fired in self-defence, while investigators are examining whether the lease dispute led to the killings.
The court directed that a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) accompany him during any nighttime evidence collection and that he undergo medical examinations every 24 hours.
It also prohibited custodial torture and ordered the police to provide him with food and clean drinking water.