Shamna Kasim case: Gang suspected to be involved in trying to extort money from 8 models too

Three women, working as models, on Thursday lodged a complaint that they were kept in a gang's captivity for a week in Palakkad and attempts were made to extort money after inviting them for modelling, police said. The women approached the police, two days after the city police, in a separate case, arrested four members of the gang for allegedly threatening South Indian actress Shamna Kasim and her family here and attempting to extort money from them, after approaching them with a marriage proposal for her.

Talking about the fresh complaint filed by the three models, police said the gang allegedly held eight women in captivity for a week at a location in Palakkad in March this year and tried to extort money from them after inviting them for modelling.

One woman has alleged molestation by a gang member while being in captivity, police said.

There are at least three more gang members to be arrested, they said.

Police hope to extract more information regarding the activities of the gang during the custodial interrogation of the four men arrested on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters after filing the complaint, one of the models said at least eight women were kept in the location at Palakkad for eight days. The gang did not provide them adequate food or water, she alleged,

Besides seeking to extort money from them, the gang also allegedly threatened the women if police or their families were informed about the matter.

The gang also allegedly persuaded women to work as carriers for a gold smuggling racket while being kept in their captivity, she alleged.

Police said steps are on to nab other members including the kingpin of the racket.