The expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was arrested in Palakkad in the early hours of Sunday (10th January) after a third rape case was filed against him. Mamkootathil was taken into custody between 12.30 am and 1 am from the KPM Regency Hotel in Palakkad.
He was then taken to a police camp in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, where he was questioned by a six-member team led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police. As per reports, the investigation team, which has been investigating two other rape cases against Mamkootathil, has been entrusted with the investigation of the case.
The action comes after a rape complaint was filed by a woman from Pathanamthitta, currently working in Canada. In her complaint, the woman levelled serious allegations, including brutal sexual assault, forced abortion, and financial exploitation. The woman reportedly said that after getting pregnant, she wanted to get a DNA test of the fetus done. The laboratory she went to for the test asked Mamkootathil to provide a sample, but he did not cooperate. She told the investigators that she has evidence to support her complaint and has submitted the same to the investigation team.
The woman met Mamkootathil through social media when her marriage was going through a rough patch. She alleged that Mamkootathil got into a relationship with her and coerced her to end her marriage. She further said that the MLA promised to marry her and insisted on having a child, saying that his family would agree to the marriage after this.
According to the complainant, Mamkootathil repeatedly urged her to meet in person. When she suggested meeting in a restaurant, he refusd saying that, being a public figure, he could not meet in public. He then asked her to meet at a hotel in Palakkad. After she arrived at the hotel, he took her to a room, attacked her and subjected her to brutal sexual assault.
Previous sexual assault complaints against Mamkootathil
The police filed two rape cases against Mamkootathil last year. In one case, a woman said the MLA forced her to have an abortion. A leaked audio clip went viral, revealing Mamkootathil’s threats to the woman. In the clip, he was heard saying that the pregnancy would destroy his life and threatened to kill her if she refused an abortion. The woman responded that she could raise the baby alone, but Mamkootathil appeared very angry and scared by her words. Mamkootathil went missing for days after the charges came out. In the second case, a 23-year-old woman accused Mamkootathil of sexually assaulting her at a private accommodation after repeatedly messaging her with promises of marriage.
Before this, in August 2025, the MLA was suspended from the Congress Party after accusations of obscene conduct were levelled against him by writer Honey Bhaskaran and model Rini Ann George.
