MLA Rahul Mankootathil Suspected to Have Fled in Celebrity’s Red Polo Car Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations
Palakkad: MLA Rahul Mankootathil is suspected to have absconded in a red Volkswagen Polo car following a sexual harassment complaint. The car was reportedly present in Palakkad since Wednesday. Crucial information was obtained by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) from questioning Rahul’s personal staff and driver. The SIT now plans to intensify its investigation by tracing the car’s travel route.
Employees at the MLA’s office informed the investigation team that the car is not regularly kept in Palakkad and they are unaware of its owner. Following suspicions that Rahul Mankootathil might have fled to Tamil Nadu, an SIT team was dispatched to the state. The complaint was lodged by a young woman in Thiruvananthapuram, who met the Chief Minister, while Rahul was engaged in election campaigning in Kannadi. He was subsequently seen getting into the Polo car. It is understood that the car belongs to a celebrity friend of Rahul.
The police are intensifying their efforts to apprehend Mankootathil. More teams will be formed to search for the absconding MLA, with the ADGP issuing strict instructions for district police chiefs to lead these teams across all districts. These teams are authorized to question suspects and conduct searches in suspicious locations.
Meanwhile, the police have dismissed reports of Rahul’s presence in Thiruvananthapuram, assessing it as a deliberate attempt to create a false impression that he is not in hiding. Investigators have found evidence of multiple attempts to mislead the police. Further searches are scheduled for today in Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, and Bengaluru, with statewide surveillance underway. The primary focus of the investigation remains Palakkad, as authorities believe Rahul is unlikely to have traveled much further.
The CCTV footage from Rahul’s apartment for last Thursday, the day he went missing, has been deleted from the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). The SIT has seized the DVR. There is a suspicion that the apartment’s caretaker was influenced to delete the footage, and the caretaker is expected to be questioned by the SIT today.