The Kerala Police on Saturday arrested Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko in connection with alleged drug use.

He has been booked under Sections 27 (consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances) and 29 (abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

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The Ernakulam North Police formally recorded the actor’s arrest under the NDPS Act, with sources confirming that bailable charges were invoked. The police have also filed a case against him under Section 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for destroying evidence and providing false information to protect an offender.

Shine Tom Chacko appeared for interrogation at the Ernakulam Town North Police Station on Saturday around 10 am, following a summons issued for questioning in connection with an incident where he allegedly fled a hotel at Kaloor in Kochi city during a raid conducted by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) late on Wednesday night.

During questioning, Shine reportedly confessed to using the drug. When asked why he fled when the DANSAF team arrived at the hotel in Kaloor, Kochi, Shine stated that he did not realize it was the police knocking on his hotel room door during the narcotics raid and fled out of fear, mistaking them for individuals intending to harm him.

Meanwhile, police have collected samples for an anti-doping test from Shine Tom Chacko, who was arrested in the drug case. His hair, blood, and nail samples were taken and will be sent to the police’s forensic laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram for analysis.

Last week, Malayalam actress Vincy Aloshious, in a complaint lodged with the Film Chamber, accused Shine Tom Chacko of inappropriate behavior on the sets of the upcoming film Soothravakyam. Earlier, Vincy Aloshious had posted an Instagram video alleging drug use and inappropriate behavior by the lead actor on the film set.

Interestingly, Shine Tom Chacko was acquitted in a 2015 drug case just days ago, on April 14, by the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court, citing procedural lapses by the police during the drug seizure and arrest.