3 min readKolkataAug 12, 2026 05:56 AM IST
First published on: Aug 11, 2026 at 03:10 PM IST
Bengal cricketer Abishek Porel – who turned out for the Delhi Capitals in last year’s Indian Premier League – was arrested Tuesday after a medical student accused him of rape.
He was also accused of assaulting and confining the young woman against her will, and faces additional charges, including causing death or a persistent vegetative state.
Porel, who has denied all charges, was arrested from Emami City outside Kolkata.
“He was arrested from Emami City under the Dum Dum police station late last night,” Kunwar Bhushan Singh, Superintendent of Police (Hooghly Rural) told The Indian Express.
“He was produced in court today (Tuesday) and remanded to police custody for three days.”
Porel was arrested almost a month after the Calcutta High Court directed the police to seize his electronic devices to prevent the dissemination of private photographs and data.
The young woman – frustrated by delays – had moved the Calcutta High Court on July 14.
Abishek Porel accused of rape
On June 23, the young woman – a medical student from Karnataka – lodged a complaint at a police station in Hooghly district. She said she met Porel in January 2023 and had a three-and-a-half-year relationship, with discussions of marriage involving both families.
She alleged that Porel took her to his flat in Hooghly district while his parents were away and forcibly engaged in a physical relationship. She further alleged that on April 2 he unlawfully confined her in Delhi, denying her food and subjecting her to severe physical abuse.
This, she said, left her debilitated and requiring immediate medical attention.
She also reported receiving threatening and abusive calls, including messages sent via an associate’s Instagram account and third-party phone numbers. She also alleged that Porel frequently recorded their intimate moments without her consent.
Who is Abishek Porel?
A wicketkeeper-batsman, he earned recognition for his consistent run-scoring performances for Bengal in domestic cricket and joined the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.
Picked as a replacement for Rishabh Pant in 2023, he only featured in four matches during his debut IPL season but the franchise retained him for subsequent seasons.