Palakkad | January 11, 2026

Expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was arrested early Sunday in connection with a third sexual assault case registered against him, police sources said. He was taken into custody from a hotel in Palakkad during the early hours and later shifted to a police camp in Pathanamthitta district.

According to the police, the latest case was registered following a complaint filed by a woman from Pathanamthitta, who is currently residing in Canada. The complainant recorded her statement via video conference. Police said the woman, who is married, had come into contact with Mamkootathil during a period of marital distress.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that Mamkootathil sexually assaulted her after promising to marry her. She further claimed that when she became pregnant, he refused to take responsibility and threatened her to undergo an abortion. The complainant also alleged that Mamkootathil took money from her on multiple occasions.

After the case was registered, the police placed Mamkootathil under surveillance. A six-member team led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police reached the hotel where he was staying at around 12.45 am on Sunday. He was taken into custody around 1 am and moved to the Pathanamthitta police camp by about 5.30 am.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing two earlier cases of a similar nature against Mamkootathil, has also been assigned to investigate the third case. SIT chief G Poonguzali reached the police camp and conducted preliminary interrogation, following which Mamkootathil’s arrest was formally recorded. He is expected to be produced before a court later on Sunday.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court had granted Mamkootathil interim protection from arrest in the first case, which involved allegations of rape and coercion to undergo an abortion. In the second case, a sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram had granted him anticipatory bail.

Following the registration of multiple cases, the Congress expelled Mamkootathil from the party. He had won the Palakkad Assembly by-election last year on a Congress ticket after former MLA Shafi Parampil was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara.

Palakkad District Congress Committee president A Thankappan confirmed that Mamkootathil is no longer associated with the party. “Once complaints were received and cases were registered, the party expelled him,” he said, adding that it was for Mamkootathil to decide whether to resign from the MLA post.

Meanwhile, BJP leader P K Krishnadas accused the Congress of failing to act decisively, alleging that the party had neither sought Mamkootathil’s resignation nor distanced itself adequately from him.

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty also criticised the Congress, claiming that multiple complaints had been raised against the MLA and asserting that no political position should offer protection from the law. He said the state government had demonstrated impartiality by arresting influential individuals across political and social spheres when allegations arose.

Police said the investigation into all three cases is ongoing.