KOCHI: More persons, including women, would be arraigned in the case related to the bid to blackmail actor Shamna Kasim, as more girl victims of the racket have come up with complaints before the police. The Kochi City Police on Sunday registered two more cases based on the complaints, taking the total number of cases registered in Kochi to six.
Kochi City Police Commissioner Vijay Sakhare said the gang had extorted money and gold from 18 girls who work in cinema and fashion modelling sectors after blackmailing them. “Based on the complaints, as many as 15 cases might be registered. Two more are yet to be arrested in the case related to the attempt to blackmail Shamna Kasim,” he said.
The police on Sunday recorded statements of nine girls who had fallen prey to the racket. Meanwhile, an audio clip claiming to be of Rafeeque, the first accused who was arrested, directing a complainant to withdraw her complaint was aired by television news channels. Though he agreed to hand over the gold and cash in the presence of the police, he didn’t return and continued threatening the girl.
The incident happened in March this year, a month before the gang started the operation to blackmail Shamna.There were reports that a make-up artist, a relative of Mohammed Shareef who is said to be the mastermind behind the blackmailing plan, took forward the marriage proposal of Rafeeque before Shamna, while an Idukki native woman, a friend of Rafeeque, spoke with Shamna over the phone.
She had reportedly handed over Shamna’s contact number to the gang. However, the investigation officers have not divulged more about these persons as the hunt for the remaining accused is on.
The probe team will record Shamna’s statement on Monday as she will reach Kochi from Hyderabad on the day. The evidence collection with the accused at the actor's residence at Maradu is also likely to be held on the day, said police officers.
Accused booked for cheating another family
Thrissur: The Vadanappally police on Saturday registered another case against the two main accused in the blackmail case based on a complaint by another woman. The 29-year-old woman of Vadanappally alleged that accused Shareef and Abdul Salam approached her family promising to marry her and cheated them of around D16 lakh. She alleged some persons, acting as the father, mother and brother of the ‘groom’, established a rapport with her family and cheated them. Vadanappally CI Bejoy P R said the probe was on and the other persons, including the woman who posed as the mother, were yet to be identified.