Cocaine case: Probe team in a fix over second chargesheet

KOCHI: Shine Tom Chacko, third accused in the cocaine case appeared at Ernakulam district and principal sessions court on Thursday where the trial in the case is expected to commence soon. The investigating team said that the actor, currently released on bail, appeared at the court as part of meeting bail conditions. As per the bail conditions, Shinewas not permitted to leave the state without prior consent from the court.
Police sources said that other accused in the case namely Reshma Rangaswamy, Blessy Silvestor, Tincy Babu and Sneha Babu who were granted bail in March along with Shine will also be summoned by the court to confirm that they have not left the state. The police had submitted a chargesheet against the five accused. Also, the substance seized from Reshma during the night party on January 31 was tested positive.
Meanwhile, the probe team was in a fix in filing the second chargesheet as Nigerian Embassy in India was yet to confirm the identity of Nigerian drug peddler arrested from Goa. The six accused in the case, the Nigerian national initially gave his name as Okowe Chigozie Collins which was later found false. Later, it was found that his name was Ezike Obinna Nicholas as per a passport seized by foreigners regional registration office (FRRO), Mumbai in 2012.
"We are yet to confirm his real identity. We are planning to send a police team to the Nigerian embassy in Delhi," said investigating officer Francis Shelbi.
Chennai-based youth Prithviraj and Jasbir Singh were the other two accused to be included in the second chargesheet. They had helped Reshma to source the drug from the Nigerian.
Meanwhile, blood samples the first five accused sent for a test at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Delhi and Hyderabad are yet to come. Samples were sent to the central laboratories after test conducted at a regional laboratory in Kakkanad turned negative.