Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police have intensified their pursuit of former Congress MLA Rahul Mankoottathil, issuing a statewide lookout notice after he absconded following grave sexual assault allegations.
As per reports, the Police launched a coordinated search operation across districts on the morning of November 28, acting on intelligence that he may attempt to flee the state and possibly the country through one of Kerala’s airports. The Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner has formally requested the Bureau of Investigation to alert all airports, as both Rahul’s and his close aides’ mobiles have remained switched off since November 27.
The lookout notice marks the latest and most serious escalation in the case, which shifted dramatically after a victim approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on November 27 and submitted a formal sexual abuse complaint. The victim handed over WhatsApp chats and multiple audio recordings that had already gone viral online, drawing lakhs of listens. In one of the recordings, she is heard telling Rahul that she is pregnant; Rahul is heard pressuring her to undergo an abortion immediately. She reminds him that he had earlier insisted she become pregnant.
Her meeting with the Kerala CM came soon after a series of explosive voice clips emerged, in which Rahul is allegedly heard telling the young woman that he wanted a child with her, followed by later conversations pressuring her to terminate the pregnancy.
Victim’s Statement Recorded; FIR Filed with Serious Charges
The victim’s confidential statement was recorded at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court (JFMC) 7, Neyyattinkara. Kerala Police subsequently filed an FIR with serious charges, including rape on the promise of marriage, forced abortion, assault, housebreaking, violation of the IT Act, and breach of trust. Of the eight sections invoked, six carry the possibility of life imprisonment.
According to her detailed twenty-page statement, recorded over five and a half hours under the supervision of the Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP:
Rahul allegedly raped her twice at an apartment in Thiruvananthapuram.
He allegedly videographed the sexual assault and threatened to kill her if she revealed the recordings.
He later summoned her to another apartment in Palakkad, showed her the videos, and raped her again.
When she became pregnant, he allegedly forced her to undergo an abortion.
His friend Joby Joseph, who has now been named a co-accused, allegedly delivered the abortion pills.
The pills were reportedly handed over on 30 May 2025, from a red car in Kaimanam, Thiruvananthapuram.
Rahul is alleged to have confirmed the abortion via a video call.
The case was initially registered at Nedumangad Veliyamala Police Station and later transferred to Thiruvananthapuram Nemom Police Station as the investigation expanded.
Silence of Congress:
The scandal is particularly damaging for the Congress, which had earlier attempted to downplay or ignore the allegations. Former KPCC president K. Sudhakaran had recently defended Rahul, calling him “innocent,” even as reports circulated and evidence mounted. Despite being suspended from the party’s primary membership, Rahul continued attending the Legislative Assembly as an “independent” MLA, insisting no written complaints or cases existed against him.
Organiser had previously reported on the allegations since August 2025, but the Congress maintained silence. However, the victim coming forward has completely altered the political landscape.
The developments come weeks before the Local Self Government elections, due in mid-December, and could topple the Congress-led UDF’s electoral calculations. The CPM sees political advantage in the scandal, believing it diverts attention from the Sabarimala Gold Loot controversy.
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