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Cops fail to nab Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil; court to hear pre-arrest bail plea today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All eyes are now on the principal district and sessions court that will take up the anticipatory bail plea of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who has been booked for rape and coerced termination of pregnancy of his female acquaintance, on Wednesday as the verdict will have a profound bearing on the Congress party and the political career of the young legislator. The plea will be considered at a time the state police are scrambling to locate MLA, who has been evading them since the Thiruvananthapuram cyber police registered a case against him on Thursday. Unverified reports say he fled the state on Friday and landed in Tamil Nadu, where he stayed for a day. Later, he moved to Hosur where he remained till Tuesday morning in a farm house and left the place before the cops raided the place. The cops expressed doubts that he has been getting steady support from certain quarters, which they assess has political proximity with him, that facilitated his crossing over from Palakkad to Tamil Nadu and beyond. The police have decided to register cases against those who harbour Rahul as they felt that without external assistance, he could not remain on the run for long. New complaint against suspended Congress MLA Mamkoottathil emerges on eve of bail hearing Meanwhile, legal sources said the prosecution will strongly object to the anticipatory bail plea citing that the allegations were grave in nature and there were enough materials to substantiate the charges levelled against the 36-year-old. Rahuls hopes would hinge on the evidence that he had filed before the court in sealed envelopes on two occasions. Even as the cops remained unsuccessful in tracking down Rahul, who went absconding after being booked for raping a woman acquaintance and forcing her to terminate her pregnancy, the beleaguered legislator has filed additional pieces of evidence via his counsel in sealed covers before the principal district and sessions court, which will hear his anticipatory bail plea on Wednesday. Rahul as well as the prosecution have filed requests before the court to hear the anticipatory bail plea in a closed room owing to privacy concerns. The police are learned to have obtained medical reports corroborating that she suffered from excessive bleeding resulting from unguided termination of pregnancy done at the behest of Rahul. The photos provided by the victim that depicted her plight after being allegedly abused by Rahul and the conversations they had on WhatsApp will also form the crux of the prosecution argument. Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil's friend denies complainants claims