Pathanamthitta: Police on Wednesday began the first phase of evidence collection with Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who was arrested in a sexual assault case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) took him to a private hotel in Thiruvalla, where the assault allegedly took place.

The police team left the Pathanamthitta AR Camp with Mamkootathil at around 5.40 am and reached the hotel under tight security. Anticipating protests, a large police contingent has been deployed in front of the hotel. People had gathered in the area after learning that Mamkootathil would be brought there for evidence collection. The legislator was taken back to the AR Camp following the evidence collection, which lasted around 15 minutes.

The Thiruvalla magistrate court on Tuesday remanded him to three days of custody of the Special Investigation Team. His bail plea will be considered on the January 16. During the hearing, the defence argued that the bail application should be taken up before considering the custody plea and claimed the arrest was illegal.

The defence pointed out that the complainant’s statement was recorded through video conferencing and alleged that the mandatory condition requiring the statement to be signed within three days was not followed.

Mamkootathil was arrested on Sunday in Palakkad in connection with a third sexual assault case. He was protected from arrest by the Kerala High Court in the first two cases of sexual assault against him. The third sexual assault case was recently registered against the Palakkad MLA following a complaint lodged by a native of Kottayam district on January 8.

The survivor has told the police that Mamkootathil allegedly raped her at a hotel in April 2024 after promising to marry her. The case was registered against Mamkootathil under sections 376(rape) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).