Sexual assault case: What steps are Kerala Police taking to trace MLA Mamkootathil?

Kerala Police have intensified their search for Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who remains untraceable amid serious sexual assault allegations, even as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducted a fresh evidence-gathering operation in his Palakkad flat on Sunday.

A Thiruvananthapuram-based investigation team reached the Palakkad Crime Branch office earlier in the day before joining local officers for a coordinated inspection.

The joint SIT entered Mamkootathil’s flat and collected evidence as part of the ongoing probe.

Mamkootathil, the MLA from Palakkad, has been booked on charges including alleged rape, criminal intimidation and coerced abortion. The FIR lists multiple non-bailable sections.

Police have also arraigned his friend Joby Joseph as the second accused.

According to the FIR, the survivor was allegedly sexually assaulted by Rahul on March 4 at her flat in Thrikkannapuram, Thiruvananthapuram. He later recorded explicit videos of her on his mobile phone without consent after threatening her.

The second accused allegedly gave her abortion pills while driving her in a car.

A non-bailable case under eight sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been filed. These include rape, repeatedly committing rape on the same woman, rape by a person in a position of trust, and causing miscarriage without consent.

Despite intensified efforts, the MLA remains untraceable.

A lookout notice has been issued, and police teams are conducting a statewide search, with another team operating in Tamil Nadu.

How the case escalated

The investigation picked up pace after the survivor submitted a written complaint to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on November 27, 2025.

Mamkootathil has moved an anticipatory bail plea before the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

The Congress has suspended Mamkootathil from its primary membership.

Opposition parties including the BJP and CPM are demanding his immediate resignation as MLA.