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Kerala Police set up SIT to probe extortion threat to actor Shamna Kasim
Police suspect the four men who were arrested on Wednesday are members of a thriving gold smuggling and sex racket in Kochi.
The Kerala police on Thursday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe an extortion complaint filed by the father of south Indian actor Shamna Kasim even as two other models filed similar complaints against the four accused who were arrested on Wednesday.
Kochi police commissioner Vijay Sakhare said Deputy Commissioner of Police Poonguzhali will head the team. Police said they suspect that the four men who were arrested are members of a thriving gold smuggling and sex racket based in the port city.
Two other models have filed separate complaints and one of them later told reporters that she was locked up in a flat in Palakkad for eight days in March and forced to go to West Asian countries to smuggle gold from there.
She said though she filed a police complaint in March about the incident no investigation was carried out. She also said eight models were there in the flat and all kept silent out of fear of bad publicity. She said she was let off on the ninth day after signing on a white paper and said she was not aware of the plight of the others.
Commissioner Sakhare said the model’s complaint will also be part of the probe and strict action will be taken against officials if any lapses were found. He said five more people have been identified and they will be arrested soon.
Police had arrested four persons on Wednesday for allegedly threatening and extorting money from Shamna Kasim. Her father in his complaint alleged that the extortionists were threatening to release some video clips of his daughter if they were not given money. Police were able to make arrests by tracking the calls made to the actor and her father.
Meanwhile, the state women commission said it will provide all support to the actor and others.
