Kerala MLA M Vincent arrested for rape of 51-year-old woman

Kovalam MLA M Vincent was arrested by the Kerala police on Saturday on charges of rape.

The arrest was recorded just after 4pm on Saturday after he was interrogated for four hours at his room in the MLA hostel in Thiruvananthapuram. Following the arrest, the police team took Vincent to the Police Headquarters.

His arrest comes a day after the police booked the MLA for raping a 51-year-old woman. The woman, who is from Balaramapuram, attempted to end her life on Wednesday after the MLA allegedly raped her. The police had earlier booked Vincent for abatement of suicide based on the husband's statement as her condition was critical.

She is presently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Neyyatinkara after consuming an overdose of blood pressure tablets.

According to reports the Kovalam MLA has called the woman 900 times in five months.

“In the statement given by her husband, it is said that the MLA used to call the woman over the phone. Her husband had even warned him once. He had also gone to the MLA’s house and told his wife about this. But still, the MLA continued to call her,” the police had earlier told TNM. An audio clip allegedly of a telephonic conversation between the MLA and the woman has been leaked but the authenticity of it is yet be verified.

Based on the woman’s statement, the police slapped rape charges against Vincent on Friday.

The case was first investigated by DySP Neyyatinkara B Harikumar but was handed over to the Kolam City Police Commissioner Ajitha Beegum on Thursday, as the accused is an MLA.

The police sought the permission of the Speaker on Friday to question Vincent. A Congress MLA, Vincent defeated MLA Jameela Prakasham of the Janatha Dal (Secular) in the 2016 May Assembly Election.