Leaseholder kills Guwahati hotel co-owner, her son, daughter in law, brother and caretaker: How a rent dispute led to mass shooting in Hotel Bilas Inn

Five people were killed and one injured in an alleged shooting at a hotel on GS Road in Guwahati on Monday night, with police suspecting a dispute over the property’s lease agreement as the motive, reports TOI. The accused, identified as hotel leaseholder Ghanakanta Gogoi, was arrested within an hour of the incident, and a licensed pistol suspected to have been used in the shooting was seized from him, police said.

The shooting took place at Hotel Bilas Inn, opposite Bora Service, around 9 pm. The hotel is located about 2 km from Assam Police headquarters. The victims included the hotel’s co-owner, her son and daughter-in-law, her brother and the property’s caretaker. Four of the deceased belonged to the same family, while the fifth was from their village, Guwahati police commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of the hotel,” Mahanta told reporters outside the property. He said Gogoi had taken the hotel on lease about a year ago and investigators were examining the circumstances leading to the shooting.


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Accused arrested, licensed pistol seized

Police apprehended Gogoi in the Paltan Bazar area within an hour of the shooting. A licensed .32-bore pistol, suspected to have been used in the killings, was recovered from him.

“Six persons sustained gunshot wounds, of whom five succumbed to the injuries. One person is undergoing treatment,” Mahanta said.

Three of the deceased were identified as Helena Bharali, Deborshi Kashyap and Narayan Das. The identities of the remaining two victims were being verified.

The sole survivor, identified as Satyen Pathak, 42, sustained a bullet injury to his shoulder and was admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. A senior doctor said his condition was stable.

Forensic and scientific teams are examining the crime scene and collecting evidence. Police said the investigation would establish the sequence of events and the precise circumstances that led to the shooting.

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