Victoria's Secret model and business tycoon daughter Luciana Curtis kidnapped at gunpoint in Brazil

Former Victoria's Secret model, Luciana Curtis, was kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage in a shack in Brazil.

A former Victoria's Secret model from New York and her family, including her 11-year-old child, were kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage in a shack in Brazil, according to The New York Post. Luciana Curtis, a Brazilian model, and her husband were ultimately freed after a terrifying 12-hour ordeal, which involved transferring all their money to the criminals.

The harrowing event occurred when Luciana Curtis and her husband were leaving a restaurant in São Paulo on Wednesday night. A group of masked men abducted Curtis, who has worked with famous celebrities like Beyoncé, and took her family to an abandoned shack on the outskirts of the city.

The shack was described as having only a mattress, toilet, and sink inside. During their captivity, Curtis and her husband were forced to transfer all of their funds into the criminals' bank accounts. Additionally, their car, a GWM Haval valued at over $33,000, was stolen.

By Thursday morning, the kidnappers abandoned the family and fled. Meanwhile, the couple's eldest child, who had stayed at home, alerted the authorities when her parents failed to return.

The family then received help from locals to escape the area. "The family has been released, and they are safe and well," a representative for the model confirmed to the media.

Police are actively searching for the perpetrators, but no arrests have been made so far.

Curtis, 47, was born in São Paulo and is the daughter of British businessman Malcolm Leo Curtis. She mostly lives in New York.

The Brazilian model, who won the Brazilian Supermodel of the World award in 1993, has appeared on the covers of magazines like Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. She also appeared on the cover of ELLE Brazil this year alongside other models and has worked with major brands like H&M and Victoria's Secret.