The 20-year-old model told police she had been lured to a fake photoshoot in Milan. Photo / Instagram, Chloe Ayling
By Harvey Day
Chloe Ayling has posted her first message to Instagram since her harrowing kidnap ordeal.
The 20-year-old model told police she had been lured to a fake photoshoot in Milan where she was drugged, stripped and handcuffed before being bundled into a suitcase in the boot of a car, reported the Daily Mail.
She was held hostage in a remote farmhouse for six days by a gang threatening to auction her for sex online unless her modelling agency paid a £270,000 ransom.
Italian police are continuing to hold their prime suspect - Polish odd-job man Lukasz Herba, who moved to the UK several years ago.
The model wrote on social media today: "Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout, I really appreciate the kind messages.
"Obviously I have left the agency who got me in that situation by sending me to the fake studio, but I have decided to keep on doing what I love and not give up because of some evil people in the world.
"Never take life for granted and be safe - the most terrible thing can happen when you least expect it."
Miss Ayling earlier told Italian police in her official statement that her kidnapper did not sexually assault her but instead gave her gifts of chocolate and underwear.
The mother-of-one told officers: "From the second night he took the cuffs from my feet, assuring me that sooner or later I'd be freed so I had no need to escape.
"From that moment I always slept in his room, sharing the bed. To be clear, he didn't molest me sexually or ask for sexual favours.
"He never sexually molested me or asked for sexual favours because Black Death prohibited or severely punished members who touched kidnapped girls.
"He held me prisoner for entire time of my kidnapping, guarded me, stopped me from going out or escaping, threatening me that 'they' would kill me if I did so. I never went outside because he prohibited it."
But questions were growing over apparent inconsistencies in the story behind the kidnapping of the British model.
Paolo Storati, deputy prosecutor, described Herba as "a person affected by mythomania"- an abnormal or pathological tendency to exaggerate or tell lies.
It also emerged the alleged kidnapper tried to sell a story to a tabloid newspaper while holding Miss Ayling captive.
Herba emailed the Daily Mirror two days into the abduction - under the heading "British model kidnapped by Russian mafia" - offering to sell the story with photos of her.
An Italian police source revealed they were looking into the possibility that Miss Ayling and Herba may have been collaborating, but as of yet they have been unable to prove this theory.
"During the first two days of questioning, neither Miss Ayling or Herba co-operated with the police," the source said.
"The pair may have been seen together on other occasions. We also cannot find any trace of the agency that allegedly lured her to the country for the photoshoot."
They were in a 'secure and happy relationship' - until his mum interfered.