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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Police to build strong case before next move against Rahul

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The special investigation team probing the sexual harassment charges against Rahul Mamkootathil, is set to collect more solid evidence against the MLA, before going to the next step. Before summoning the MLA for interrogation, the team is focused on recording witness statements and gathering further evidence to submit before the District Sessions Court on Wednesday when Rahuls anticipatory bail plea will be considered. Sources said the police are unlikely to launch an all-out manhunt until the matter comes up before the court. Since it is unlikely that the accused would be granted bail with such serious charges slapped against him, police are trying to strengthen evidence, sources said. There are indications that the police have started reaching out to women who had earlier raised allegations, to formally register complaints against Rahul. However, both Rahul and his friend Joby Joseph are under surveillance to ensure they do not evade investigative limits. Sources indicated that any move to take him into custody is expected to happen later next week. The probe team on Saturday started recording statements of witnesses. The statement of the doctor who treated the survivor was recorded. Police have also begun the verification of medical documents submitted by the survivor. Meanwhile, refuting Rahuls claim that their relationship began while the woman was still married, more details from the survivors statement have come out. She reportedly told officers that she met Rahul only after separation from her husband. The survivor further told police that she was first raped by Rahul on March 4, 2025, while she was living alone in a flat in Thiruvananthapuram. In her complaint, the survivor said Rahul initially expressed desire for a child, forced her into pregnancy and later forced her to undergo abortion saying the child would affect his future in politics. In his anticipatory bail plea, Rahul had claimed that he and the complainant had a long-standing friendship. He stated in the petition that he entered into a friendship and later a sexual relationship with the woman knowing she was married. He further denied the allegations of assault and noted that he neither raped her nor forced her to undergo an abortion and that the womans allegations are fabricated. On Saturday, Rahul, through his advocate, submitted a pen drive as additional evidence to support his claims. In his bail petition, Rahul had stated that he should not be held responsible for the survivors pregnancy. To support this, he submitted photographs of the couple together during the period in which the assault is alleged to have happened, along with material that he claims shows the abortion was done on her own willingness and was not coerced. The third evidence is a WhatsApp chat where the woman is forced to file a complaint against Rahul by the head of the firm where she is working. Rahul had earlier alleged that the firm she works for is politically aligned to BJP. Amid indications that Rahul Mamkootathil had gone into hiding in Palakkad following the case, new information suggested that he reached Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. Sources said he visited a lawyers office in Vanchiyoor. According to the lawyer, Rahul arrived on Friday afternoon, signed the petition, handed over documents, WhatsApp chats and audio clips in his possession, and then left in an hour. Rahuls mobile phone was switched on briefly on Friday morning and its location showed Palakkad. It was switched off soon after. The political campaigns against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil continued on Saturday with BJP leader K Surendran criticising the Congress leadership for what he described as a deliberate attempt to shield the legislator from police scrutiny. Surendran claimed that both KPCC and AICC have received multiple petitions from women complainants, yet none of them have been formally passed on to law enforcement agencies. Speaking to the media in Palakkad, Surendran questioned how the Leader of the Opposition has failed to alert the police despite acknowledging that serious complaints exist. If the Congress is truly guided by political morality, he said, the party should have already asked Rahul to step down.

30 Nov 2025 8:37 am