Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati

Guwahati, Oct 27: Five people were killed and another injured in a shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area of Guwahati, Assam, on Monday night, following an alleged dispute over the hotel’s lease agreement.

The accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, was arrested within an hour of the incident, and the weapon allegedly used in the shooting was recovered, Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

The shooting occurred around 9.10 pm when an argument reportedly broke out between Gogoi and the hotel owner over the lease agreement. The dispute had allegedly been continuing for some time.

According to preliminary information, Gogoi opened fire inside the hotel using a licensed .32-calibre pistol. Several rounds were fired, and some hotel employees were also caught in the gunfire as people reportedly attempted to intervene.

Police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the shooting and arranged for the injured to be shifted to hospital. Four bodies were initially recovered from the hotel, including near the reception area, before the death toll rose to five.

Preliminary investigations suggest that Gogoi had taken the hotel on lease last year and that tensions had developed between him and the hotel owner’s family over the arrangement. Investigators are examining the exact cause of the dispute and how it escalated into the shooting.

Police said four of the five deceased were members of the same family who worked at the hotel. Three victims were identified as Helena Bharali, Deborshi Kashyap and Narayan Das, while the identification of the remaining victims was under way.

The survivor was identified as Satyen Pathak. His condition was reported to be stable, despite initial reports describing the injured person as being in critical condition.

Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.