Kolkata, 10 November (H.S.) : Bikash Sahani, a civic volunteer attached to the Intelligence Branch of the West Bengal Police, was arrested on Tuesday. He is accused of allegedly helping absconding Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Ram Das, an accused in a rape case, in his attempt to flee to Mumbai.

Paresh Ram Das, the MLA from Canning West in South 24 Parganas district and the prime accused in a rape case, was arrested by the state police on Monday evening at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. He was trying to board a flight to Mumbai after evading the police for 17 days.

Investigations conducted by the Baruipur Police District have made a shocking revelation that civic volunteer Sahani not only helped MLA Das plan his escape but also leaked confidential police intelligence to the absconding lawmaker. State police sources stated that due to his deployment in the Intelligence Branch, which has statewide jurisdiction, Sahani had access to sensitive and operational information across several police stations.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Sahani routinely shared confidential updates with Das, which helped the legislator evade tracking units of the police and plan his movements. The investigating team is currently interrogating Sahani intensively.

MLA Das is the prime accused in case number 561/2026 registered at the Canning Police Station on September 5, 2026. This case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It is noteworthy that Das is among the few sitting TMC legislators who remain loyal to the minority faction of the party led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew.

Commenting on the arrest, Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari labelled Das as an identified extortionist in the Canning region. Adhikari alleged that he had illegally occupied several state government properties in the area to establish his dominance during the previous Trinamool Congress regime.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh