4 min readPanajiUpdated: Mar 26, 2026 02:17 AM IST
Days after 20-year-old Soham Naik, son of a BJP-affiliated councillor in South Goa, was arrested for allegedly circulating sexually explicit videos, including those of minor girls, and blackmailing the victims, at least three victims have recorded their statements alleging abuse, The Indian Express has learnt.
Naik was arrested on Sunday night, after a large crowd gathered outside the police station, demanding that the police conduct an impartial probe into an alleged “sex racket” and immediately arrest the accused. The protesters told the police to register a suo motu FIR, instead of waiting for victims’ testimony, and warned of a bandh if the police did not arrest the accused within 48 hours.
Police had registered a suo motu FIR on the basis of certain videos initially. The FIR was lodged under sections pertaining to obscene acts and songs and provisions under the IT Act. On Monday, provisions pertaining to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and The Goa Children’s Act were added to the FIR.
According to police, the matter was brought to their attention after a report appeared in a local daily, claiming that the 20-year-old had been circulating some sexually explicit videos of minor girls and “boasting” about them with friends. In the report, the accused is alleged to have “engaged in sexual relations” with at least 14 girls, including minors, and to have filmed certain videos to blackmail the victims.
Police on Sunday appealed to the victims to come forward to record their statements. Sources said two more FIRs were registered on Tuesday after two victims recorded their statements. All three cases have now been transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation.
In one of the cases, a minor girl alleged that between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2023, the accused developed a friendly relationship with her on the pretext of marriage and enticed her to different locations. The FIR said that on two separate occasions, the accused took the minor girl to an isolated place and “committed forceful sexual intercourse with her, against her will and consent and also video-graphed the incident on his mobile phone and further transmitted the same to his friend circle.” The FIR was registered under sections pertaining to assault or criminal force to woman, sexual harassment, cheating, and rape and provisions of the Goa Children’s Act, the POCSO Act and IT Act.
Another FIR, lodged on the complaint of another minor girl, states that sometime between 2024 and 2025, the accused contacted her on Instagram and sent her an obscene photograph of his private part. The FIR states that he “threatened to expose…his present relationship with her elder sister publicly” and “further pressured her to meet him personally and share contact details of other girls for exploitation.” The FIR was lodged under sections of stalking, insulting the modesty of a woman, and criminal intimidation, along with Goa Children’s, POCSO and the IT acts.
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South Goa Superintendent of Police Santosh Dessai Tuesday told the media: “Prima facie investigation found that there were some images and videos of women on his phone, following which the initial FIR was registered. We have urged victims to come forward and register complaints. The case is now being investigated by the crime branch”.
When contacted, the father of the accused, Curchorem Cacora councillor Sushant Naik, did not respond to calls and a text message for a comment.
Rahul Gupta, SP Crime Branch, said, “The three FIRs have been transferred to the crime branch and a probe has been initiated”.
