By FRANCESCA GILLETT

A British model was abducted in Milan and put up for auction online after being lured to a sham photoshoot.

Italian police said the 20-year-old woman was attacked on July 11 and kidnapped for six days.

She is believed to have been drugged and transported in a bag to a secluded village near Turin, before being released on July 17.

It is thought two men tried to sell her on the internet for more than $300,000 – or £230,000 – and demanded ransom money from the model’s agent to secure her safe release.

The woman was kept handcuffed to furniture but was freed and taken to the British embassy in Milan, despite the ransom not being paid.

It has been reported that the captor demanded £50,000 upon the woman’s release and threatened to kill her if she told police about the incident.

A 30-year-old Polish man, said to be a resident in Britain, was arrested on July 18 on suspicion of kidnap and extortion, state police said.

Italian police said they are working with officials in Britain and Poland as they continue to investigate.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We have been providing consular support to a British woman in Italy and are in touch with local authorities.”

IMAGES:

Polish man Pawel Lukasz Herba, who was arrested in Milan on suspicion of orchestrating the abduction of a British model. (AFP/Getty Images)

A photo from the Italian police shows the inside of the house where the British model was held captive. AFP/Getty Images

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