THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The crime branch has constituted a fresh team to trace MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who has been on the run for 11 days while facing rape allegations, police sources said. The restructuring follows internal concerns that information on the probe may have leaked from the earlier unit.
Investigators believe Mamkootathil has been constantly shifting between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and may currently be in Bengaluru, sources indicated. He reportedly left Palakkad just hours after the complainant met the chief minister with her petition last week.
To evade surveillance, the legislator avoided routes with CCTV coverage and initially travelled in a red Volkswagen Polo car belonging to an actor friend to reach Pollachi, sources said. From there, he switched vehicles several times — moving to Coimbatore, then towards the Tamil Nadu–Karnataka border. He is said to have briefly stayed at a resort in Bagalur in Tamil Nadu before escaping again as officers closed in on his location.
A woman advocate, with alleged links to the real estate mafia in Karnataka, is believed to be assisting him and alerting him to police movements, the officers added. The MLA has frequently changed phones and vehicles and has stayed only for short durations at each hideout. On multiple occasions, the search team was reportedly within striking distance before he slipped away.
Mamkootathil's arrest was stayed by the high court in only one of the cases, while his anticipatory bail plea in the second matter is scheduled to be heard by the Thiruvananthapuram district court on Monday. His request for interim protection was earlier rejected.
The investigation team is also preparing to record the survivor's statement without delay, the sources noted. After noticing his mobile phones briefly active following recent bail proceedings, officers suspect he has no plans to surrender. Two staff members from his office — including his driver and personal assistant — were questioned but could not provide significant leads, according to the sources.
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