Guwahati Police Arrest Extortionist With 4 Firearms, 360 Rounds; Victim Forced To Transfer ₹3 Lakh At Gunpoint

Guwahati: The Central Police District of the Guwahati Commissionerate has arrested a 39-year-old man on charges of armed extortion, physical assault and wrongful confinement, and seized a large cache of firearms and ammunition during a raid at his residence in Chapaidong, Bonda.

The accused, identified as Avik Das alias Abhimanyu Das, was apprehended after the police searched his residence following a complaint lodged by the victim, Bishan Sonowal.

According to the police, preliminary investigation revealed that the accused and the victim had earlier been business associates. Their relationship allegedly deteriorated after financial losses in a joint venture. Police said the victim later worked as a manager at the accused's business process outsourcing (BPO) firm between June 18 and June 28, during which he was allegedly subjected to repeated threats.

The case took a serious turn on June 28 when the accused allegedly summoned the victim to his residence. Police said the accused, while armed with a pistol, demanded Rs 5.50 lakh from the victim. To intimidate him, the accused allegedly fired a warning shot near the victim's feet, assaulted him and forced him to sign documents under duress.

According to the FIR, the victim was compelled to transfer Rs 3 lakh online immediately. The accused also allegedly detained the victim's Maruti Baleno car as security for the remaining amount and threatened to scrap the vehicle if the balance was not paid. Police further alleged that the accused repeatedly intimidated and mentally harassed the victim's fiancée over the telephone.

Following the FIR lodged on July 2, Pragjyotishpur Police registered Case No. 82/26 under Sections 115(2), 127(2), 308(5), 309(4) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), read with Section 27(1) of the Arms Act.

A police team immediately raided the accused's residence, arrested him and recovered the victim's Maruti Baleno car. During the search, investigators also recovered an empty cartridge at the entrance of the house, which police said corroborated the alleged firing during the extortion attempt.

Police seized four firearms from the premises, including an Indian-made Cheetah .30 calibre (7.62×25 mm) pistol with three magazines, a 7×57 mm bolt-action rifle, an antique double-barrel rifle and a .177 calibre air rifle.

The search also led to the recovery of more than 360 live rounds of ammunition. The seized ammunition included 102 rounds of .30 calibre ammunition, 156 rounds for the 7×57 mm rifle, 50 rounds of 70 mm high-velocity Shaktiman Express cartridges, 60 rounds of .325 mm cartridges and a container of air gun pellets. Police also recovered 80 empty cartridges of various calibres from the premises.

Besides the firearms and ammunition, police seized the accused's Toyota Hilux vehicle, three mobile phones — an Apple iPhone, a Motorola Edge and a Nokia keypad handset — along with an arms licence issued by the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur, Nagaland, in the name of the accused.

Police said Avik Das has a criminal history and is a history-sheeter with four charge-sheeted cases registered against him. These include cases registered at Pragjyotishpur Police Station in 2021, Chandmari Police Station in 2023, Surupathar Police Station in Golaghat district in 2024 and Agiya Police Station in Goalpara district in 2025.

The investigation is continuing to verify the authenticity of the arms licence issued in Nagaland and to ascertain whether the accused had links to any larger illegal arms procurement network, police said.