Ghanakanta Gogoi was being taken from Guwahati to Sibsagar when he allegedly tried to escape.
A Guwahati-based businessman accused of shooting five people dead near a hotel last week was killed in an encounter early on Wednesday while allegedly trying to escape police custody, officials said.
Ghanakanta Gogoi, who carried out the murders reportedly over a dispute involving the lease of the hotel, was being taken from Guwahati to Sibsagar – around 350 km away – in connection with a separate case when the incident took place around 3:12 am, the officials added.
“When the team reached Gaurisagar, he said he wanted to answer nature’s call. After he got down from the vehicle, he tried to snatch the service weapon of the investigating officer. A scuffle ensued,” Sibsagar senior superintendent of police Papori Chetia said.
“At this juncture, another policeman fired from his service weapon to save his senior officer. This led to Gogoi sustaining bullet injuries. He was taken to Sibsagar civil hospital where he was declared brought dead. One of our officers, who sustained injuries, has also been admitted there,” she added.
On October 26, Gogoi allegedly shot six people, including the owner of Hotel Bilas Inn he had taken on lease. Five of them, including owner Helena Bharali (58), died on the spot. A dispute over the lease of the hotel near Bora Service area is suspected to have led to the shooting but a detailed probe is underway, the officials earlier said.
The accused was arrested the same day and after a week in police custody, was sent to judicial custody by a Guwahati court on Tuesday. But the police from Sibsagar district arrested him the same evening and were taking him there when he allegedly tried to escape.
Following the incident, family members of the deceased had demanded ‘instant justice’ instead of the accused being tried through proper legal process. Later, a district court in Kamrup Metro district directed the Guwahati police not to take the accused out of jail after sunset, after he appealed for adequate security. The police were also asked to ensure the accused’s safety in custody.