Police cornered on-the-run Trinamool Congress legislator Paresh Ram Das at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Monday evening, cutting short an alleged attempt to board a flight to Mumbai.
Himself a sitting lawmaker from Canning (Paschim) in South 24 Parganas, Das had dodged state investigators for 17 straight days. He repeatedly skipped summons issued by the West Bengal Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID). His evasion ran out at the departure gate. Acting on tactical intelligence, a special operations unit from the Baruipur Police District teamed up with the Bidhannagar City Police to intercept and detain the lawmaker under the direct supervision of the Bidhannagar Superintendent of Police.
Das stands 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 criminal case stems from a complaint lodged in September with the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Canning. According to the complaint, Das demanded ₹4 lakh from the complainant's husband ahead of the 2023 panchayat elections, promising a party election ticket in return. When the complainant arrived at an old-age home managed by the legislator to hand over the cash, Das allegedly extorted the money, locked her inside the premises, and subjected her to sexual assault.
She went to the local police station in 2023. Officers turned her away without filing an FIR. Intimidation followed swiftly. The complainant and her family faced systematic harassment, threats, and a crude bomb strike on their home allegedly orchestrated by Das and his associates. The complainant came forward to press formal legal charges only after a political regime shift across the state emboldened her to pursue justice.
CID detectives questioned Das once following the September FIR. He vanished by late October. Police launched an intensive manhunt, raiding his residence in Canning and rounding up four local Trinamool Congress leaders linked to the network before intercepting Das at the airport.
| Case Parameter | Official Status |
|---|---|
| Accused | Paresh Ram Das, MLA, Canning (Paschim) |
| Arrest Location | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata |
| Statutory Charges | Sections 376, 323, 420, 120B, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code |
| Disputed Sum | ₹4,00,000 allegedly extorted over panchayat ticket |
| Investigating Units | Baruipur Police District and Bidhannagar City Police |
Police will produce Das before a district magistrate in South 24 Parganas on Tuesday, where state prosecutors will move for custodial remand to question the lawmaker on his evasion network and the underlying criminal allegations.