Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko on the run for three days appears before Kerala police

Kochi, April 19 (IANS) Controversial Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko, who had been evading police for the past three days, appeared at the North Ernakulam police station in Kerala on Saturday morning.

Police officials had served a notice at Chacko’s residence on Friday, directing him to appear before them at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday. The actor however arrived half an hour early.

According to sources, the police have prepared a set of 32 questions for Chacko to answer.

Investigators have also sought CCTV footage from six hotels in Kochi where he is believed to have stayed recently, along with his mobile call records for the past month.

The controversy began earlier this week when Chacko reportedly fled during a police raid linked to an alleged drug use case.

The issue surfaced after actress Vincy Aloshious accused him of misbehaving with her during the shoot of the film 'Soothravakyam' last year.

Although she initially refrained from naming the actor, she later identified Chacko as the one who misbehaved. She also said that Chacko spat a white powdery substance.

Aloshious had filed a complaint with the Kerala Film Chamber on the condition that the accused’s name would remain confidential.

However, the Chamber general secretary, Saji Nandiyattu, later disclosed Chacko's name to the media and assured action would be taken against him. Following this, Aloshious expressed her disappointment over the breach of trust and announced she would no longer cooperate with the proceedings.

On Friday, her father informed authorities that the family was not interested in pursuing the matter further, stating, "What happened on the film set can be settled within the film industry itself."

Interestingly, the families of Chacko and Aloshious have known each other for some time. While evading police on Friday, Chacko also took to social media to promote Soothravakyam, the film at the centre of the controversy.

Raj Mohan, a retired senior Kerala police official and former NIA officer, remarked that although Chacko fled from the police earlier in the week, the investigation can still proceed, as the question of limitation does not apply in this case.

Earlier this month, Chacko was also named by an arrested woman drug peddler, who claimed to have supplied drugs to him and actor Sreenath Bhasi.

The woman and her associates are currently in judicial custody. Following her arrest, the Excise Department announced that notices would be issued to both actors.

--IANS

sg/skp