Kerala MLA and Congress leader M Vincent was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping and stalking a 51-year-old woman. He has also been charged for abetment of suicide.
Kerala Congress MLA M Vincent booked on charges of rape, stalking & abetment of suicide of a 51-year-old woman, has been arrested by Police
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 22, 2017
The incident came to light on Wednesday when the woman was admitted to a hospital after she attempted suicide. It was later revealed that the Kovalam MLA was in contact with her over the phone for months.
The Speaker's office was earlier informed that police could take action and that it did not require his special permission.
Victim's statement
A magistrate reportedly recorded the victim's statement. Investigators said that a case of rape was registered against the Congress legislator 'on the merit of woman's sworn statement', the Hindu reported.
Vincent was also booked on the suspicion of driving the woman to take such an extreme step.
Earlier, the woman and her husband had approached the MLA seeking protection from some person who had been pestering her. After this, the MLA asked the local police to look into the matter.
It was then that the MLA had a non-consensual relation with the woman where she was allegedly repeatedly sexually abused at her house.
The victim reportedly informed a local priest and a convent about the difficulty. After police recorded their statements, they asked the victim to go for a medical examination.
Police also found that Vincent had called the woman over phone 900 times, mostly during odd hours in the past few months.
Vincent's statement
Vincent told the Hindu that the entire thing was a setup and claimed that Communist Party of India (Marxist) was behind this plot.
Police have also recorded the victim's husband's statement.
