Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Nov 9: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Paresh Ram Das, who had been absconding in a high-profile rape and extortion case, was arrested at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Monday evening while allegedly attempting to flee to Mumbai.
Das, who represents Canning (Paschim) constituency in South 24 Parganas district, had been evading law enforcement agencies for the past 17 days and had repeatedly failed to respond to summons issued by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police.
A special operations group of Baruipur Police District, acting on specific intelligence inputs, tracked the legislator to the airport and apprehended him with the assistance of Bidhannagar City Police. The joint operation was carried out under the direct supervision of the Superintendent of Police, Bidhannagar Police District.
According to an official press release issued by Baruipur District Police, Das is an accused in Canning Police Station Case No. 561/2026, registered on September 5, 2026, under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The case stems from a complaint filed in September this year with the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Canning.
According to the complainant, before the 2023 panchayat elections, Das allegedly demanded Rs 4 lakh from her husband in exchange for securing an election ticket. When the woman visited an old age home managed by the legislator to hand over the money, Das allegedly extorted the amount, confined her inside the premises and raped her.
The woman further alleged that when she initially approached Canning Police Station in 2023, the police refused to register an FIR. Instead, she and her family were allegedly subjected to harassment and threats. She also claimed that Das and his associates carried out a bomb attack on their residence.
The complainant said she gathered the courage to pursue legal action following the recent change in the political regime in West Bengal.
After the case was registered in September, CID officials questioned Das once. However, the legislator reportedly went missing during the last week of October.
Police subsequently conducted raids at his residence in Canning and arrested four local TMC leaders while launching a search operation to trace the absconding MLA.
Das is among the few sitting Trinamool Congress legislators who continue to remain loyal to the faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Police confirmed that the arrested legislator would be produced before a district court in South 24 Parganas on Tuesday, where the state prosecution is expected to seek his police custody.