Forensic report clears actor Shine Tom Chacko of drug use charges

In a major setback to the Kochi City police, a forensic report has absolved Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko of charges of drug consumption in connection with a case registered in April 2025.

The case was registered after Mr. Chacko created quite a stir by fleeing a hotel at Kaloor, within the Ernakulam Town North police station limits, during a raid conducted by the city police’s District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) on the night of April 16. CCTV footage later collected by the police showed Mr. Chacko escaping from his third-floor hotel room through a window, jumping onto the asbestos sheet of the second floor, crossing the swimming pool area, taking the stairs to the reception, and fleeing as a pillion rider on a two-wheeler.

“We did not find any direct evidence from the room proving that the actor consumed drugs, nor was he booked for possession. However, considering the panicked manner in which he fled the hotel, we decided to send his body fluids for forensic examination to verify whether he had consumed drugs. Now that the results have returned negative, there is little ground to proceed further with the case,” city police sources said.

Reportedly, the DANSAF team had arrived at the hotel following a tip-off about a drug peddler. They discovered Mr. Chacko’s presence through the hotel register and knocked on his door.

During hours-long interrogation after the incident, Mr. Chacko told police that he fled “fearing for his life” as he mistook the plainclothes officers for goons. The police, however, were unconvinced, questioning why he did not contact them if that were the case. His dramatic escape also coincided with allegations of drug abuse on film sets.

The police maintained that the case was registered since the actor’s interrogation prima facie revealed matters requiring investigation, and his flight during the raid appeared suspicious. Ahmmed Murshad, 25, of Malappuram, who was allegedly found in Mr. Chacko’s hotel room, was also booked.

They 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 29 (punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy).