Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko was arrested by the Kochi City police on Saturday afternoon following over four hours of questioning at the Ernakulam Town North police station. He was subsequently released on bail later in the day.
Mr. Chacko presented himself at the station around 10 a.m. in response to a police summons related to an incident on Wednesday night where he allegedly fled a hotel in Kaloor, Kochi, during a raid by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF). Ahmmed Murshad, 25, from Malappuram, who was reportedly with the actor in the hotel room, was also booked in connection with the incident.
Both individuals were charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act Sections 27 (b) (consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance) and Section 29 (punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy). All the charges are bailable offenses.
The First Information Report (FIR) stated that the accused were staying in the hotel room either for drug use or for conspiring to do so. Mr. Chacko is accused of fleeing the hotel with the intention of preventing the DANSAF team from obtaining evidence.
Tests Conducted to Assess Potential Addiction:
Shortly after his arrest, Mr. Chacko underwent a medical examination at the Ernakulam General Hospital. Doctors collected samples of his blood, urine, hair, saliva, and nail clippings. According to hospital sources, these samples will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis to assess both recent and long-term drug use.
Mr. Chacko's initial summons was primarily to address his reasons for fleeing the hotel upon the arrival of the police team. He reportedly claimed that he did not recognize them as police officers and "mistook them for ruffians intending to assault him."
Sources indicate that the police have also obtained his mobile call data records and WhatsApp chat history as part of their investigation. A team of senior police officials, including Ernakulam Central Assistant Commissioner C. Jayakumar and Narcotics Cell Assistant Commissioner K.A. Abdul Salam, conducted the interrogation. Additionally, police have secured CCTV footage allegedly showing Mr. Chacko fleeing the Kaloor hotel. He reportedly escaped his third-floor room by jumping onto the second floor through a window, then crossed the swimming pool area, used the stairs to reach the reception, and fled as a pillion rider on a two-wheeler.
The DANSAF team reportedly acted on a tip-off regarding a drug peddler when they arrived at the hotel. They discovered Mr. Chacko's presence through the hotel register and decided to approach his room. Despite a thorough search, the police were unable to recover any narcotic substances from the room.
Past Acquittal in Drug Case:
Notably, Mr. Chacko was recently acquitted in a separate drug case by the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court due to procedural errors by the police during the drug seizure and his arrest in 2015.
Mr. Chacko's parents and brother visited the police station and departed before his release on bail at approximately 5:40 p.m.
