Thiruvananthapuram:

The Crime Branch wing of the Kerala police on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against Perumbavoor MLA and Congress leader Eldhose Kunnappilly in the case of rape of a woman.

In the charge sheet filed before the Neyyattinkara Additional sessions court, the Crime Branch has also named two of his friends as accused.

The charge sheet says that Mr Kunnappilly raped the woman multiple times at various places and even tried to murder her after an altercation at Kovalam.

Police had registered a case against the two-time legislator after the woman complained that she was raped multiple times since July 2022.

Besides rape and attempt to murder, the Congress MLA has also been charged with assault, following a complaint from the alleged victim who stated Mr Kunnappilly had abducted and manhandled her.

The victim has also claimed that Kunnappilly offered her Rs 30 lakh to settle the case registered against him.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Mr Kunnappilly alleged that the charge sheet was filed against him as a political ploy and the case was filed against him because he was an “opposition MLA”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)