Sitapur (UP): Congress MP Rakesh Rathore was arrested on Thursday in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur in connection with a rape case filed by a woman, media reports said.

Rathore, who represents Sitapur, was taken into custody by the police while addressing a press conference at his residence, India Today reported.

According to the report, his arrest followed the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court a day earlier.

Rathore has been accused of sexually exploiting a woman for four years under the pretext of marriage.

The High Court's order was issued by a single bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan after hearing the plea, the report said.

Rathore’s lawyer argued that the woman had filed the case after four years and that his client had been falsely implicated.

The court disposed of the plea, directing Rathore to surrender before the sessions court within two weeks.

On January 17, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered a case against Rathore based on the woman's complaint.

Three days later, his counsels, Arvind Masdalan and Dinesh Tripathi, filed a petition seeking anticipatory bail in Sitapur.

On January 23, an MP-MLA court in Sitapur rejected Rathore’s anticipatory bail plea, according to the report.