Rape and murder accused killed in encounter in West Bengal’s Bongaon

Image used for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: PTI In the wee hours of Tuesday (October 27, 2026), the 23-year-old prime accused in the rape and murder of a Class 11 woman was shot dead in an encounter in the Bongaon region of West Bengal. This is the second such encounter incident in the State in the past four months. The accused, Prahlad Das, was taken to the crime scene in Gaighata around 3-3.30 a.m. on Tuesday (October 27, 2026) to reconstruct the crime scene. Das had reportedly snatched a police gun during the process and fired at the police personnel and jumped into the nearby pond in an attempt to escape, police sources said. The police officers present at the spot allegedly opened fire in self-defence. Das was rushed to a local hospital, where he was declared dead. This encounter death comes two days after a 17-year-old victim’s body was found behind her neighbour’s house on Sunday (October 25, 2026), a day after she went missing from her home. Das was arrested on the same day and sent to 10 days‘ police custody. A Special Investigation Team had been formed to investigate the case. Excess force was deployed in the area after locals started to protest against the rape and murder incident, leading to tension in the neighbourhood. On Monday (October 26, 2026) night, Mamata-Trinamool Congress criticised the government for the incident and raised concerns about women’s safety. “BJP’s slogans mean nothing if women and girls continue to live in fear and families are left searching for answers. How many more tragedies before this administration answers for its failures?” The party wrote on their official social media handle. However, State Minister Agnimitra Paul had said that they will take immediate action because women’s safety is their priority. “I can tell you that our government will not spare anyone involved in this crime, and whoever is colluding with this criminal will not be let off either. We are not like the previous government, which politicised such issues,” Ms Paul said. Baruipur encounterOn July 8, a similar encounter had transpired in the South 24 Parganas Baruipur area in the early hours of the day when the police had similarly taken the prime accused Prabhas Mondal to reconstruct the crime scene. Baruipur had been on the boil since July 5, after a 12-year-old girl was raped and murdered in the area and her body was recovered from a pond. Published - October 27, 2026 09:55 am IST