Rahul Mamkootathil still on the run for 9th day; sets to move HC after bail plea rejection

Rahul Mamkootathil continues to evade arrest for the ninth consecutive day after the court rejected his bail plea in a rape case. He is expected to move the Kerala High Court on Friday with an anticipatory bail petition. The Thiruvananthapuram District Sessions Court on Thursday dismissed his plea, prompting him to seek urgent relief to prevent arrest.

Investigators will expand the special investigation team probing the second rape complaint filed against him. A woman IPS officer will lead the inquiry, reported Manorama Online. Meanwhile, the police have begun procedures to record the complainant’s statement and believe that further investigation is necessary.

As reported by Manorama Online, Rahul has been shifting between various hideouts to avoid police surveillance. Rumours circulated on Thursday that he would surrender before the Hosdurg court in Kasaragod in the evening, but he did not appear.

 The case was registered by the Nemom police based on a complaint forwarded by the Chief Minister’s Office, in which the survivor alleged that Rahul sexually assaulted her, forced her to terminate a pregnancy, and used videos recorded without her consent to threaten and coerce her.

He was booked under sections 64 (2)(f) (rape by a person in a position of trust or authority), 64 (2)(h) (rape knowing the woman is pregnant), 64 (2)(m) (repeated rape on the same woman), 89 (causing miscarriage without consent), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation), and 3 (5) (joint criminal liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police have also invoked Section 66 (E) of the Information Technology Act for the alleged recording and threat of misuse of private images.