KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Ram Das was arrested at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Monday, minutes before he was scheduled to board a flight to Mumbai, in connection with a rape and extortion complaint filed in 2023.
Police said a Special Operations Group (SOG) team, acting on specific intelligence that Das was planning to leave Kolkata, intercepted him with the assistance of Bidhannagar Police. He had allegedly been untraceable for 17 days, police sources said. An earlier search at his residence in Canning led to the arrest of four Trinamool Congress functionaries, but Das could not be found.
He was taken to Baruipur police headquarters for questioning and is scheduled to be produced before a court on Tuesday.
The case (No. 561/2026), registered at Canning police station, relates to allegations of rape and extortion before the 2023 panchayat elections. The FIR was registered under Sections 376, 323, 420, 120B and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In May 2026, the Calcutta High Court granted Das interim protection from coercive action in connection with six other FIRs registered against him at Canning police station. The protection was valid until June 30, 2026, or until further orders, whichever was earlier. The court directed him to cooperate with the investigation.
After his arrest, Das told reporters outside the airport, "I am being taken away after being made to sign (a document). I don't know what charges are against me or why I have been arrested."
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh questioned the timing of the arrest. He alleged that the police had taken no action while Das was associated with the Ritabrata Banerjee camp and acted only after he sought to return to Mamata Banerjee's camp.
Arup Roy, chairperson of Trinamool's Ritabrata camp, said the police must have found evidence relating to the allegations against Das to make the arrest. He added that the camp did not attach importance to Ghosh's statements.
(With inputs from media reports)