Pantheerankavu dowry case: Rahul flees to Germany, Interpol issues Blue Corner notice

Kozhikode: A Blue Corner notice was issued by Interpol against Rahul P Gopal, the prime accused in the Pantheerankavu domestic abuse case, on Thursday.  The police suspect that Rahul fled from Bengaluru to Singapore and finally to Germany. "A request was sent to Interpol through the Ministry of External Affairs for issuing it," a senior police officer of Kozhikode city said. A Blue Corner notice is issued by the international police cooperation body, Interpol, to collect additional information from its member countries about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime. The Blue Corner notice comes in the wake of a lookout circular that was issued against the accused by the police. 

Bank accounts frozen
Meanwhile, Rahul's bank accounts in India were frozen on Friday. Efforts are underway to freeze his foreign bank accounts as well.  

Police are actively searching for Rahul for brutally torturing his wife hailing from North Paravur. Authorities are also planning to interrogate his mother to corroborate the girl's statements.

'Force-fed alcohol'
On Wednesday, the police recorded the victim's statement regarding the domestic abuse. The bride informed police that Rahul forcefully gave her alcohol, causing her to vomit. The groom's mother, Kumari, and another friend had also joined the couple for drinks at the time. The police might take Kumari into custody to verify the girl's statements. The statement has been handed over to Feroke Division Assistant Commissioner who is in charge of the investigation.

The case
The domestic violence came to light when the woman's family visited Rahul's residence on Sunday for a post-wedding ceremony. The couple got married on May 5. After noticing bruises on the woman's body, family members questioned her. She revealed that Rahul had assaulted her brutally and attempted to strangle her with a mobile charger cable. She claimed that Rahul frequently beat her, suspecting infidelity. Subsequently, the woman's family took her to the police station and filed a complaint against Rahul. She also announced her decision to end her week-long marriage and returned her 'Thali' to Rahul.

However, the family has levelled serious allegations against the Pantheerankavu police. They claim that the police were hesitant to register a case against Rahul and intentionally omitted charges of attempted murder, despite the woman's confirmation of his attempt to strangle her. It is reported that the police only charged the man with assaulting his wife. In response, the Kozhikode City Police Commissioner has declared that the woman's statement will be recorded again.