The Kochi police are planning to extend their probe in the case relating to the seizure of cocaine from a luxury apartment in the city on January 31 to outside Kerala, especially to Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, amidst the growing concern that drug-peddling and abuse are growing fast among the elite youth of Kochi.
On Thursday, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court in Kochi left the five accused in the case - young Malayalam film actor Shine Tom Chacko (31) and four young women - in the custody of the police till February 10 for further questioning. The police had prayed to the court to leave the accused in their custody for a minimum of ten days.
Designer-model Reshma Rangaswamy (26) and assistant film director Blessy Sylvester (22), two of the four women arrested for possessing and abusing cocaine, have told the police that the high-intensity drug was sourced from Goa. However, the police have reportedly received information that the accused need not be mere drug abusers but could be vital links in a racket.
For the same reason, they are planning to hold extensive investigations. Police sources said that the accused might have to be taken outside Kerala as part of the investigation but now they are not sure as to when this could happen as the four days for which they have got the accused in their custody may not be enough for this.
Actor Shine Chacko and the four young women were arrested from a luxury flat in Kadavanthra in Kochi city, owned by Thrissur-based controversial businessman Muhammad Nisham who was presently in police custody for trying to murder a security guard by ramming his Hummer SUV into him, in a raid on the early morning of January 31 when a “smoke party” was on there.
The police had recovered ten grams of cocaine from Reshma, first accused in the case. Shine, a resident of Thrissur, is the third accused while Bangalore-based Blessy is the second accused. The others arrested are fashion model Tinsy Babu (25) from Kollam district and travel company owner Sneha Babu from Kottayam district, fourth and fifth accused respectively.
The police have learned that ‘smoke parties’ had been taking place at the flat regularly and that several new-generation film personalities were regular visitors there. One report said that such visitors included a busy actress and her director husband. The police have also got indications that Reshma and Blessy could have supplied cocaine to other film personalities as well.
At the same time, the police investigating the case pertaining to Nisham’s attempt to murder the security guard of Sobha City apartment complex of Thrissur are examining whether the businessman had any connections with those arrested from his flat in Kochi. A court in Kunnamkulam, Thrissur had on Wednesday left him in the police’s custody for seven days.
Nisham has told the police that he had connections with several film personalities including Shine Chacko. He could be taken to Bangalore as part of the probe on the basis of the indication that he had connections with Blessy Sylvester. Nisham has said he had not leased out his Kochi flat to anybody though Blessy and Reshma have claimed that they had taken it on rent.