A Congress MLA on the run after being accused of rape has allegedly sent WhatsApp messages to a friend of the survivor warning of God’s “punishment” for “cheating” him.

“Jesus Christ will give appropriate punishment to you and your family for cheating me although I did no wrong. I am fully confident. Contemplate once your greed for money is satiated. I will survive. Christ will be with me,” read the messages in Malayalam sent from a mobile phone number listed on the Kerala Assembly website as that assigned to Eldhose Kunnapillil, the Congress MLA of Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district. The survivor’s friend received the WhatsApp messages on Thursday.

Kunnapillil has been absconding since a schoolteacher lodged a complaint against him and recorded her statement before the Thiruvananthapuram crime branch in September. The survivor has accused him of raping her and assaulting her on multiple occasions and later offering Rs 30 lakh as hush money when she lodged the complaint.

While the police had initially booked Kunnapillil under IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 362 (abduction) and 506 (1) (criminal intimidation), they added Section 376 (rape) on Thursday after recording the survivor’s statement and conducting a medical examination on her.

The police on Thursday wrote to Speaker A.N. Shamseer seeking his clearance to arrest Kunnapillil. The Speaker said there was no need for his nod.

“There is a Supreme Court direction by Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah that clearly states that the Speaker’s permission is not needed to take action against a lawmaker. The police only need to inform the Speaker after the arrest,” Shamseer told reporters on Friday, as police intensified their search for the absconding lawmaker.

The Congress had initially maintained silence on the survivor’s allegations against its MLA, but has now decided to seek an “explanation” from Kunnapillil and let the law take its course.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan told reporters on Friday that the party would seek an explanation from Kunnapillil “as part of natural justice”.