3 min readPanajiUpdated: Mar 23, 2026 07:21 PM IST
The Goa Police on Sunday night arrested a 20-year-old man, the son of a municipal councillor in South Goa, for allegedly circulating explicit videos, including those of several minor girls, and blackmailing the victims.
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 said none of the victims came forward to record their statements regarding any abuse so far, and that the allegations are being verified and investigated. According to police, the matter was brought to their attention after a story 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.
Police said on the basis of certain videos, which are now evidence, a probe was initiated, and an FIR was lodged under section 294 (1) and (2) of BNS and section 67A of the IT Act. Police on Monday added provisions pertaining to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Goa Children’s Act to the FIR, after recording the statement of a friend of the accused.
The accused was produced in a local court on Monday and remanded to four days’ police custody.
A senior police officer said, “A suo-motu FIR was lodged, and we have appealed to all the victims to come forward and record their statements, but no one has done so yet. The parents of the minor girls also seem reluctant. We are taking help from NGOs in this regard.”
The officer said the news report in the local daily claimed that the accused lured minor girls and maintained sexual relations with them, and later blackmailed them by threatening to circulate sexually explicit videos of the victims. “The report mentions that he recorded videos of at least 14 girls, but no concrete evidence has been found so far. It is crucial that the victims come forward and record their statements,” the officer said.
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Earlier on Sunday, a large crowd gathered outside the police station that has jurisdiction over the area where the incident was reported, demanding that an impartial probe be conducted into the alleged “sex racket” and that the accused, who is the son of a sitting councillor, be immediately arrested. The protesters demanded that police register a suo-motu FIR, instead of waiting for victims’ testimony, and warned of a “bandh” if police did not arrest the accused within 48 hours.
Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar said, “It is imperative that the government immediately steps in, takes suo motu cognisance and orders a prompt, impartial and time-bound inquiry. The privacy, identity and dignity of every victim must be safeguarded at all costs. Those responsible must be brought to justice swiftly and dealt with strictly under the law, without any bias or hesitation.”
