Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 29 The rape case against suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil entered a critical phase, with investigators beginning to record witness statements even as the legislator remains in an undisclosed location.
He is reportedly residing within Palakkad, adhering to legal advice not to leave the jurisdiction ahead of his anticipatory bail hearing.
Contrary to earlier reports that he had left the state, sources indicate that Mamkootathil remains in Palakkad.
His official vehicle remains parked at his residential flat, while he is believed to have moved to a private location in a friend's vehicle.
His personal assistant and driver are also reportedly in Palakkad.
The investigation has intensified, with the probe team starting to record witness testimonies from Saturday.
The statement of the doctor who treated the complainant after she reportedly took abortion medication will be recorded first, followed by statements from her friends.
The complainant's confidential testimony and medical examination were completed on Thursday.
Meanwhile, details from her statement to the investigating officers have revealed key contradictions to claims made in Mamkootathil's anticipatory bail plea.
The woman clarified that her previous marriage, which took place in August 2024 at a temple but was not legally registered, lasted barely a month, with the couple living together for only four days.
She further stated that she met Mamkootathil five months after the separation, invalidating his claim that she was still in an active marital relationship when their association began - a central point in the MLA's defence.
In his bail plea filed in the Thiruvananthapuram District Court, Mamkootathil maintains that the relationship was consensual, denying allegations of rape or coercion to undergo abortion.
He claims that the accusations are "fabricated and politically motivated", pointing to what he describes as unusually swift police action.
The District Sessions Court here will hear his anticipatory bail plea on Wednesday.
Trouble began for the MLA in August, after which he was removed as president of the Youth Congress and suspended from the party.
Meanwhile, the police have decided to intensify the probe by forming a high-level Special Investigation Team under Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Thomson Jose.
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