SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2026

Youth booked for sexual assault, blackmail of minor

Victim claims abuse continued for more than two years

VASCO

Verna Police have registered a case against one Gautam Modi (24) of Consua-Cortalim on charges of alleged sexual exploitation, blackmail, and intoxication of a minor girl over a span of more than two years.

Verna Police Station has registered an  offence following a formal complaint lodged by the victim, who is currently 16 years old.

The ordeal reportedly began on April 20, 2024, when the victim was 14 years old. The accused allegedly administered an intoxicating substance to the minor by offering her laced mango juice.

Police reports state that once the victim began experiencing dizziness, the accused committed sexual intercourse. This initial assault reportedly escalated into a pattern, with the accused repeatedly assaulting the minor girl on multiple subsequent occasions between April 2024 and June 2026 at Cortalim.

The accused reportedly captured obscene photographs of the minor victim on his mobile phone without her consent.

He then used these images as leverage, threatening to circulate the sensitive media online if she attempted to end the relationship or report the abuse.

Acting swiftly on the minor’s complaint, the Verna Police have booked Gautam Modi under several  provisions of Indian law, including: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Sections 65, 123, and 351(2) along with Goa Children’s Act: Section 8(2) and  Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act: Sections 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, and 15(1).


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Published Jun 27, 2026, 1:10 AM IST
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Govt: No village will be declared urban sans consultations

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