Panaji, March 23: The South Goa Police arrested 20-year-old Soham Sushant Naik in the wee hours of Monday following an intense public outcry over an alleged sex scandal involving 25 to 30 minor girls. Naik, a resident of Madegal-Cacora and the son of a BJP Curchorem Municipal councillor, was taken into custody after a mob of concerned citizens and local leaders picketed the police station.

The investigation suggests a disturbing pattern of abuse spanning the last three years. According to preliminary reports, the BJP corporator’s son allegedly engaged in sexual relations with numerous minors, filming the encounters and subsequently using the footage to threaten the victims into silence.

The scandal came to light last week after Soham Sushant Naik allegedly boasted about his actions during a social gathering, showing explicit videos of the victims to his associates. As rumours of the sexual abuse recordings spread through South Goa, local tension reached a boiling point.

However, before this, the case was being discussed in South Goa for the last few days. Local citizens gathered at the Kudchade police station on Sunday night seeking action as the case was linked to a local BJP corporator. Finally, the police took the corporator’s son Soham Naik into custody.

The action came after the accused showed some videos to his friends at a drinking party last week. This led to the revelation of the years of alleged sexual abuse of minors by the BJP leader’s son.

On Sunday, Curchorem residents had marched to the police station demanding a fair probe into the alleged sex-racket videos involving minors.

The protestors had warned of a bandh if police failed to act immediately and arrest the accused within 48 hours. The residents had also demanded that the police register a suo motu FIR in the case rather than wait for victims to come forward.

State Congress president Amit Patkar demanded that the government step in, take suo motu cognisance, and order a prompt, impartial, and time-bound enquiry into the horrific case.

The South Goa Police are currently investigating the digital evidence and determining the full scale of the exploitation of the minor girls by Soham Sushant Naik.

Soham Sushant Naik remains in custody as forensic teams work to recover the alleged videos used for blackmailing the minor girls.

Mumbai: A 47-year-old homemaker from Vile Parle East was cheated of ₹1.12 lakh after fraudsters tricked her into believing she had won a car in a fake lottery linked to the television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati.

The woman was targeted through a fake social media page that imitated the Kaun Banega Crorepati brand. The page invited users to answer quiz questions, creating the impression of a legitimate contest. After interacting with the page for a few days, the woman received a call from a man who introduced himself as a representative of the show. He told her she had won a car worth ₹8.5 lakh.

Believing the offer to be genuine, the woman transferred ₹1.12 lakh in multiple instalments towards taxes and processing charges. She realised she had been cheated on – ly after the caller became unreachable. Based on her complaint, the Vile Parle police registered a case.

Srinagar, March 23: Teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday in connection with the investigation into the 2025 Red Fort explosion case.

Officials said NIA teams this morning raided the residence of a businessman in the Guloora area of Handwara in connection with the blast case. The NIA teams, assisted by J&K Police and the CRPF, searched the premises and checked documents and devices.

A statement from the agency said that searches are being conducted in nine places in various locations of the union territory.

An official added that the “NIA conducted raids at multiple locations across Kashmir as part of its ongoing investigation into the November 10 car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort”.

The raids were carried out at six locations across Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara and Kulgam districts on premises linked to individuals arrested in connection with the “terror module” behind the blast, which killed 11 people and wounded 32 others.

Sources said the NIA conducted a search at the residence of Dr Bilal Naseer Malla, a resident of Rafiabad in Baramulla district, who was arrested in connection with the case.

Another search was carried out in the Langate area of Kupwara district. The NIA has apprehended 11 people, including several doctors, so far during the investigation into the bomb blast case.

The prime accused, Dr Umer Un Nabi, was also killed in the deadly explosion.

Officials said teams of NIA, assisted by police and the CRPF, searched the premises and checked documents and devices.

It must be mentioned that on November 10, 2025, a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) detonated at the Red Fort in Delhi.

The attack was orchestrated by a “white-collar” cell of professionals, including doctors from Al-Falah University, linked to transnational groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind.

This event signalled a potential operational shift from border-centric militancy to urban-embedded operations, where actors exploit metropolitan anonymity and logistical networks within the country’s interior.