Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil booked for rape, forced abortion; friend Joby Joseph named as co-accused

Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil has been booked on charges of alleged rape, criminal intimidation, and coerced abortion, with the FIR listing multiple non-bailable sections. Kerala Police have also arraigned his friend Joby Joseph as the second accused in the case, ANI reported.

According to the FIR, the survivor was allegedly sexually assaulted by Rahul on March 4 this year at her flat in Thrikkannapuram, Thiruvananthapuram. The complaint states that Rahul allegedly assaulted her and forced her into sexual intercourse.

Later on March 17 at the same flat, Rahul allegedly recorded nude videos of the survivor on his mobile phone without her consent, after threatening her. The FIR notes that the MLA warned her that he would “destroy her life” if she disclosed the relationship to anyone.

The survivor told the police that, despite knowing she was pregnant, Rahul again raped her at the Thrikkannapuram flat on April 22 and later, for two days in May at the MLA's Build Tech Summit flat in Palakkad.

The FIR alleges that the second accused, a close friend of Rahul, picked up the survivor from Kaimanam in Thiruvananthapuram on May 30 and gave her abortion pills while driving her in a car.

It further states that Rahul then allegedly forced her to take the pills, resulting in an induced abortion, and threatened her again to ensure she did not disclose the incident.

Police are continuing their investigation based on the detailed complaint.

The police fast-tracked the case after the woman and her family met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the latter's office in the Secretariat on November 27.

The FIR, initially lodged at the Nedumangad Valiyamala Police Station, was later transferred to the Nemom Police Station as the alleged incidents occurred within its jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, tight security has been deployed by Kerala Police at the residence of MLA Rahul Mankootathil in Adoor in Pathanamthitta district.

Police teams remain stationed in and around the house as precautionary measures.

The case has been registered under eight non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Section 64 for rape, Section 64(2) for repeatedly committing rape on the same woman, Section 64(f) for rape by a person in a position of trust, Section 64(h) for rape on a woman knowing she is pregnant, and Section 64(m) for repeated rape on the same woman.It also includes Section 89 of the BNS for causing miscarriage without a woman's consent, BNS 316 for criminal breach of trust, and Section 68(e) of the Information Technology Act relating to transmission of offensive digital content.The offences cumulatively carry punishments ranging from ten years to life imprisonment.

SFI Pathanamthitta District Committee staged a protest march to the MLA 's residence.

(With inputs from ANI)