Malayalam film actor Shine Tom Chacko, who was booked on Saturday for use of narcotic drug, was defiant and dismissive in the initial round of interrogation, very much like the character he projects during interviews, according to police officials. When pressed about the use of drugs, he was in denial. It was only when the cops were about to present a list of narcotic drug users in the Malayalam film industry, he mellowed. "No point lying to us, it is a waste of time for both of us," a cop with years of service in anti-narcotic drives told Shine.

Shine then told police that he started using drugs during the time of COVID. Cops haven't bought this statement. His choice of narcotic substances is Methamphetamine and ganja. The lab-made synthetic drug comes in crystal form. It is crushed and consumed by snorting or mixing with juice, an official with the Ernakulam anti-narcotic cell said. Local drug peddlers sell meth at Rs 1,000-1,100 for 0.5 gm. Shine told police that he consumed the drug in powdered form using an ATM card and a rolled-up bank note.

The police said that the DANSAF team reached the Kochi hotel on the night of April 16 in search of a drug dealer. The cops grew suspicious after they spotted the name of Shine on the hotel register. "The actual target was a drug dealer, but when we saw the name of Shine, we suspected a transaction between the actor and the dealer. When we knocked on the hotel door, there was a man in the room. We understand that he is a make-up man named Ahammed Murshad. He told us that Shine jumped through the window. He told us he came to meet Shine in the room," a police official associated with the investigation said. Murshad was also named an accused in the case on Saturday.

Shine checked into another luxury hotel that night after fleeing the hotel where the DANSAF team arrived for raids. By 3.30 am, he hired a taxi and left for Pollachi, where he moved into another hotel. Following legal consultation, he decided to appear for questioning in Kochi, police said.

According to Shine, people employed as assistants in the Malayalam film industry sourced drugs for him. "He has also said that he was in contact with Thasleema Sulthana, who was arrested in Alappuzha with hybrid ganja worth Rs 2 crore in the first week of April. We need to find out if there were any transactions between him and Thasleema," an official said.

The police have also learnt that Shine was admitted to a de-addiction centre at Koothatukulam in 2024; however, he didn't complete the treatment and got discharged after 12 days. The police have collected his hair and nail samples for a test as part of the investigation.