Promise of marriage, rape, demand for a child, abortion; Rahul’s cruelty the same in all 3 cases

Thiruvananthapuram: A third rape case has been registered against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. The third case was registered based on a complaint by a young woman from Thiruvalla, alleging that she was raped after promising marriage and was later forced to undergo an abortion. Rahul Mamkootathil was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) early Sunday morning from a hotel in Palakkad. He is currently being questioned at the Pathanamthitta AR Camp.

In all three rape cases registered so far and as per the complaints lodged, Rahul exploited the survivors in a similar manner. All three complaints state that he established close relationship with them in the same way and demanded that they bear his child. Except in the second case, the other two cases also include allegations that he forced the women to undergo abortions.

Sexual allegations against Rahul Mamkootathil first surfaced in 2025. The allegations were that he raped women and forced them to terminate pregnancies. Audio clips allegedly involving Rahul and screenshots of chats circulated on social media. Several young women who claimed to have suffered abuse by Rahul also spoke out against him on social media.

However, despite audio clips being circulated, no formal complaints were initially filed against Rahul. Later, based on complaints from others, the police formed a Special Investigation Team and began inquiry. But the investigation hit a dead end as the complainants did not come forward to give statements. During this period, Rahul responded that he would face the allegations legally.

Things changed on November 27, 2025, when one of the survivors submitted a written complaint against Rahul for the first time. The first complainant personally approached the Chief Minister’s Office and submitted a complaint along with digital evidence. The complaint alleged rape on the promise of marriage and coercion to undergo abortion. The complaint was later handed over to the Crime Branch.

After it became public that the complainant had personally submitted the complaint, Rahul Mamkootathil went into hiding. Despite days of searches within and outside the state, the police could not trace the MLA. Meanwhile, Rahul approached the court seeking anticipatory bail. He argued that he was not responsible for the pregnancy, that the child was from the marriage of the woman, and that the relationship was consensual.

During this time, the KPCC leadership received a second complaint against Rahul. A young woman based in Bengaluru sent the complaint via email, alleging that Rahul raped her after promising marriage. The complaint said he brutally raped her ignoring her resistance, caused injuries, and forced her to have a child. The Congress leadership handed the complaint over to the police, following which a second rape case was registered.

On December 4, a Thiruvananthapuram court rejected Rahul’s anticipatory bail plea in the first rape case. Soon after, the Congress leadership announced that Rahul had been expelled from the party’s primary membership. Despite the rejection of anticipatory bail, the police were still unable to arrest him. Rahul then approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail, and on December 6, 2025, the High Court stayed his arrest until the petition was disposed of. Meanwhile, on December 10, the court granted anticipatory bail in the second rape case.

After receiving temporary relief, Rahul, who had been in hiding, re-emerged and became active again, even attending public events. He came out to vote in the local body elections on December 11 and later visited his house in Adoor. On December 18, the court extended the stay on his arrest in the first rape case. Meanwhile, on January 6, 2026, the husband of the complainant in the first case came forward with a complaint against Rahul, alleging he had destroyed his family life and humiliated him, and that the police were not acting on his complaint. On January 7, 2026, the court extended the stay on Rahul’s arrest in the first case until January 21 and made the complainant a party to the bail petition.

3rd case strikes like a thunderbolt

While Rahul was securing temporary relief from courts in two rape cases and becoming active again, including at public events, a third complaint surfaced against him. The complainant in the third rape case is a woman from Thiruvalla who is currently abroad. A week earlier, she had emailed a complaint to the Chief Minister, submitting digital evidence including audio clips. After the complaint was handed over to the police, SIT investigating officer G Poonkuzhali IPS recorded the complainant’s statement via video conference.

No escape this time; extreme secrecy

To prevent the third complaint from becoming public and to ensure that Rahul did not go into hiding or seek anticipatory bail, the police exercised extreme caution. All procedures in the third case were kept highly confidential. It was only when the police team arrived at the Palakkad hotel in the early hours of January 11, 2026, that Rahul learned about the third case. Though he initially resisted, he later surrendered to the arrest. The police then took him into custody and headed to Pathanamthitta.

Serious allegations

The third rape complaint also contains grave allegations against Rahul. The complainant alleges that she was subjected to extremely brutal rape and was also financially exploited on a large scale.

Rahul allegedly befriended her when she was facing problems in her marital relationship. They regularly chatted on social media. Rahul suggested that they meet in person to resolve her marital issues. Initially, he said they would meet outside, but later asked her to come to a hotel room. At their very first meeting, he brutally raped her, slapped her on the face, and spat at her.

After this, he promised to marry her and insisted that she bear a child to ensure that their relationship did not drift apart. However, when she became pregnant, Rahul’s behaviour changed. He began to doubt the pregnancy and mocked her, claiming it was someone else’s child. To prove that the pregnancy was Rahul’s, she approached a medical agency. Though she contacted Rahul for a DNA sample, he refused. Meanwhile, he forced her to undergo an abortion, following which she miscarried.

She had recently informed Rahul that she would move forward with a complaint regarding the incident. In response, she allegedly faced severe threats. Rahul allegedly threatened to wipe her out and family.

The complainant also alleged that she was financially exploited on a large scale. During the Palakkad by-election period, Rahul allegedly demanded money to buy an expensive watch, footwear, and clothes. She claims that she gave up to ₹10,000 just for footwear.