Kozhikode: The man who was charged with an attempted murder in a domestic violence case had been married multiple times, said police.
Following the complaint filed against him by his newlywed wife from North Paravur in Ernakulam, police registered a case and began an investigation.
According to the complainant, she endured brutal torture from her husband, Rahul P Gopal, soon after their marriage on May 5, allegedly over dowry demands. The plaint was filed with the Pantheerankavu police.
The police also found that Rahul had previously wed another woman from Kottayam’s Poonjar. "He didn’t obtain a divorce from his first wife and the woman has not yet lodged a complaint," said police. “Rahul may have had married other people too,” said an officer who is part of the investigation team. Police have issued lookout notices at airports to prevent Rahul from fleeing abroad. His father admitted Rahul confessed to assaulting his wife. “But he never asked dowry,” he said.
On Tuesday, Pantheerankavu police registered a case of attempted murder against Rahul following the directions of Feroke Assistant Commissioner Saju K Abraham. The accused is currently under surveillance, said cops.
The domestic violence came to light when the woman’s family paid a visit to Rahul’s residence on Sunday and noticed bruises on her body. She disclosed that Rahul attacked her and even attempted to strangle her with a mobile charging cable. They then lodged a complaint against Rahul and the woman announced that she was ending her week-long marriage by returning the ‘Thali’.
However, the family later levelled serious allegations against the Pantheerankavu police, claiming that they intentionally avoided murder charges against Rahul, despite the woman confirming that he had tried to strangle her. The Human Rights Commission later took suo motu cognizance against Pantheerankavu police on alleged lapses in handling the complaint and directed the city police commissioner to submit a report within 15 days after conducting an investigation.
