Kolkata, November 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Paresh Ram Das, who had been absconding in a rape and extortion case, was arrested at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Monday evening while allegedly attempting to leave for Mumbai, police said.
Das represents the Canning (Paschim) Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. He had reportedly been evading investigators for 17 days and had failed to respond to repeated summons issued by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police.
A special operations team from Baruipur Police District tracked the legislator to the airport following specific intelligence inputs and arrested him with assistance from Bidhannagar City Police. The operation was carried out under the supervision of the Bidhannagar Police District Superintendent of Police.
According to Baruipur District Police, Das is an accused in Canning Police Station Case No. 561/2026, registered on September 5 under provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to rape, voluntarily causing hurt, cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation.
The case stems from a complaint submitted to the Canning Sub-Divisional Police Officer in September. The complainant alleged that before the 2023 panchayat elections, Das demanded Rs 4 lakh from her husband, promising to secure an election ticket.
She further alleged that when she visited an old-age home managed by the MLA to deliver the money, he took the funds, confined her inside the premises and raped her.
The woman also claimed that her earlier attempt to approach Canning Police Station in 2023 did not result in an FIR. She alleged that she and her family subsequently faced harassment and threats, and that a bomb attack was carried out at their residence by Das and his associates.
The complainant said she decided to pursue legal action after the recent change in the political regime in West Bengal.
The CID had questioned Das once after the case was registered. However, he reportedly went missing in the last week of October. Police subsequently searched his residence in Canning and arrested four local TMC leaders as the hunt for the MLA continued.
Police said Das would be produced before a district court in South 24 Parganas on Tuesday, where prosecutors are expected to seek his custody for further investigation.
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