Malayalam film actor Shine Tom Chacko arrested for drug abuse

Kerala police on Saturday recorded the arrest of Malayalam film actor Shine Tom Chacko, after he surrendered before authorities in connection with narcotic drug abuse.

An FIR has been registered under sections 27 b, 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act which deal with punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance and abetment and criminal conspiracy.

The police also filed a case at Ernakulam Town North police station under section 238 of BNS against him for destroying evidence and giving false information to protect an offender.

Shine  who was seen in Tamil films like Beast and Good Bad Ugly is alleged to have used drugs on the sets. The allegation was made by actress Vincy Aloshious and she filed a complaint with AMMA & Film Chamber against the actor accusing misconduct on the sets of  Soothravakyam.

In a video footage spreading in Malayalam news channels, Shine Tom Chacko was fleeing his hotel in Kochi when DANSAF conducted a drug raid on Wednesday.

According to police Shine confessed during the questioning to having used the drug.

“When asked why he ran off when the DANSAF team arrived at the hotel, he said that he left the room, dreading somebody was trying to assault him,” a senior police official said.

The cops, however, said that the statement given by Shine on hurriedly leaving the hotel has to be verified.

The actor will be subjected to a medical examination to ascertain whether he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the hotel raid.

Shine appeared for questioning at the station accompanied by his lawyer after he was issued a notice by the Ernakulam Town North police.

In the wake of a recent court verdict which acquitted him in a drug case registered at Kadavanthra police station in 2015, the Kochi city police have prepared a detailed questionnaire focusing on his travel history, call records and contacts to gather evidence to establish his alleged use of narcotic substance.

Shine faces charges that could attract a prison sentence ranging from six months to one year.

The police suspect the actor was under the influence of narcotics and have also examined his Google Pay transactions and WhatsApp chat history.

During the questioning, he admitted to knowing Sajeer, the middleman who was the focus of the DANSAF team’s raid at the hotel.
The actor admitted to police of using cannabis and methamphetamine, according to media reports.

He also reportedly confessed to purchasing drugs from Taslima Sulthana, a woman drug peddler who was arrested earlier this month with high-grade cannabis valued at over Rs2 crore.

Shine had admitted to the police team that he had used drugs and had also sought treatment at a de-addiction centre. During questioning, he also claimed he had not used any substances on the day of the hotel raid.