KOLLAM: A former special prosecutor with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who was out on bail in a sexual assault case, was found dead on Sunday in what police suspect to be a case of suicide.
The deceased, identified as P G Manu, 54, was discovered hanging inside a rented house in Kollam city, according to officials. Originally from Piravom in the Ernakulam district, Manu had been residing in Kollam for the past few months.
In November 2023, the Ernakulam police had booked Manu on charges of sexually assaulting a woman who had sought his legal assistance in connection with a 2018 rape case.
Following the registration of the case, Manu was forced to resign from his position as a senior government pleader at the Kerala High Court, a post he had held since 2021. Before that, he served as a special prosecutor for the NIA in Kochi.
After the Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition, Manu surrendered to the police. He was placed in judicial custody for nearly three months until the Kerala High Court granted him bail in March this year.
Just days before his death, a video surfaced on social media in which Manu was allegedly seen apologizing to a family, reportedly linked to a fresh allegation of misconduct. The video further fueled controversy around him.
Regarding the 2023 case, police said the complainant and her parents had approached Manu for legal help to get a long-pending 2018 rape case quashed.
They first met him at his office in October last year. The woman later alleged that during the meeting, Manu asked her parents to leave the room, locked the door, and sexually assaulted her.
She claimed in her complaint that he abused her on two more occasions — once again at his office and later at her home.
The woman also alleged that Manu had threatened her, warning that if she did not cooperate or accept his terms, she risked being named an accused in the very case for which she had sought his legal assistance.
Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.