Guwahati hotel Bilas Inn firing: Five killed, accused arrested within an hour

Five people, including four members of the same family, were killed and another person was injured after a shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati’s Bora Service area on October 26. 

Police have arrested the accused and seized the weapon used in the attack, Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

The firing took place around 9 pm, with six people sustaining gunshot injuries. Five of them later succumbed to their injuries, while the sixth is undergoing treatment.

Addressing the media, Mahanta said preliminary investigations suggest that the shooting stemmed from a property dispute linked to the lease agreement of Hotel Bilas Inn.

“Four of the five people who have succumbed to their injuries belong to the same family. The other person is from their village,” the police commissioner said, adding that the injured person was also from the same village.

The dispute was reportedly between the hotel owner's side and the person who had taken the property on lease.

Police identified the accused as Ghanakanta Gogoi, an Assam resident who had leased the hotel. Mahanta clarified that the accused was not a hired killer and was not related to the victims.

“He has been apprehended within an hour of the incident. The weapon used has been seized. Interrogation is on,” Mahanta said, identifying the firearm as a .32-calibre pistol.

The police commissioner said the investigation was still at a preliminary stage and that scientific examination and further inquiries were underway to establish the sequence of events and bring the case to a logical conclusion.

Police said the identities of the deceased would be formally disclosed after verification to ensure that their names were reported accurately.

Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.