After quizzing, excise sleuths take Shine Tom for drug rehab

Kottayam: Actor Shine Tom Chacko, who was summoned for interrogation at the excise commissioner's office in Alappuzha, was later taken to a de-addiction centre in Thodupuzha on Monday. The excise department took such a step after Chacko and his parents sought treatment for drug de-addiction.

Besides Chacko, actor Sreenath Bhasi and Kochi-based model Soumya too were summoned. A special team from excise department questioned the actors and the model over their links with Tasleema Sultana, 41, who was arrested in connection with the seizure of 3kg hybrid ganja worth Rs 2 crore. Excise sleuths subjected the three to detailed interrogation separately based on a prepared questionnaire to determine the nature of their links with Sultana.

The interrogation was led by excise deputy commissioner Vinod Kumar and assistant commissioner S Ashok Kumar. After an eight-hour-long interrogation, the sleuths concluded that the three don't have any direct links with Sultana regarding the drug deals. Kumar said there was no clear evidence yet linking the actors to Sultana. However, he didn't rule out summoning the actors and the model for interrogation again.

Earlier in the day, all three arrived well in advance for the interrogation. Though the interrogation was to start at 10am, Chacko arrived around 7.30am and Bhasi by 8.10am. Soumya arrived by 8.30am. Chacko told the excise sleuths that he was coming from a de-addiction centre in Bengaluru and needed to go back at the earliest.

They were shifted to three different rooms after a primary interrogation.

Soumya was asked about her frequent financial dealings with Sultana. She is learned to have told the sleuths that the financial dealings were in connection with ‘real meet' and had no connection with drug deals. She said she was totally unaware of Sultana's drug dealings. However, she conceded that she was acquainted with Sultana for a long time and it was only friendship.

Meanwhile, the sleuths are verifying whether the financial dealings under the code name ‘real meet' were commissions paid to Sultana in connection with sex trade.

Later, Soumya told the media that she was not from the film industry and was acquainted with Chacko and Bhasi through Instagram.