Rahul Mamkootathil, an expelled Congress MLA from Palakkad, Kerala, has been arrested in connection with a third rape complaint. The arrest was made by a Crime Branch team in the early hours of Sunday. Mamkootathil was taken into custody from a hotel in Palakkad around midnight on Saturday. He has been moved to the AR Camp in Pathanamthitta for interrogation and will be produced before the Thiruvalla Magistrate.

This marks a significant escalation in the legal challenges faced by the former legislator. The woman who filed the latest complaint alleges rape and financial exploitation by Mamkootathil. According to the complaint, the MLA befriended her and invited her to a hotel, where the alleged rape occurred. She further claimed that he exploited her after promising marriage.

The complainant, a native of Pathanamthitta district currently residing in Canada, provided her statement to the police via video conference. She stated that she met Mamkootathil after experiencing marital issues. She alleges that after she became pregnant, Mamkootathil refused to take responsibility and coerced her into having an abortion. She also accused him of taking money from her on several occasions to purchase expensive items and threatening her family. The woman also claimed that the MLA physically assaulted her. Reports indicate she underwent a DNA test of her fetus to prove that Rahul had impregnated her.

Police have reportedly collected evidence, including records of the survivor's meetings with the MLA and financial transactions. The case against Mamkootathil includes multiple non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including those related to rape, repeated rape, rape by a person in a position of trust, and rape of a pregnant woman. It also includes sections related to causing miscarriage without consent, criminal breach of trust, and transmission of offensive digital content under the Information Technology Act.

Prior to this arrest, the Kerala High Court had extended interim protection from arrest to Mamkootathil in connection with the first rape case filed against him. That case involved allegations of rape and forced abortion, initially registered at the Nedumangad Valiyamala Police Station and later transferred to the Nemom Police Station. The Kerala High Court was scheduled to hear the matter on January 21st.

In December 2025, the investigation into the initial rape allegation against Mamkootathil was transferred to the State Police Crime Branch. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is investigating the two other similar cases against him, has also been assigned to investigate the latest case. G. Poonkuzhali, who heads the SIT, is currently interrogating Mamkootathil.

To date, five similar complaints have been raised against the expelled Congress leader. The police had kept Mamkootathil under surveillance after registering the latest case. A team of officers took him into custody from the hotel where he was staying.