AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
Shock, dis belief, and a deep sense of betrayal hang heavy over Curchorem, where residents are struggling to come to terms with al legations that one of their own has been involved in a disturbing sex scandal. The quiet village, known for its close-knit community, now finds itself grappling with a reality few could have imagined. The relative of one of the four victims remains in shock, while pain is evident on the faces of many women in the locality. Men in the village admit they are finding it hard to digest that a local boy could alleg edly stoop to such acts — luring women with promises of love, filming them, and later using the videos to threaten them.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Days after the arrest of alleged accused Soham Sushant Naik, son of Curchorem councillor Sushant Rohidas Naik, the disturbing details continue to unsettle the village. Re ports indicate that four women from three different police jurisdictions including two minors — were deceived and exploited. Curchorem is reeling not just from the crime, but from the fact that the accused is one of their own. “Surekha (name changed) was in love with him, and she thought he was too. Even now, the implication of allowing him to make those videos has not sunk in. The trust that has been broken will take time to heal. She is terribly hurt. I hope she will come out of it without medical intervention,” con fessed a relative of one of the victims. Despite the growing chatter, villagers have chosen re straint when it comes to the identities of the victims. “Who they are is not important. They are young girls with a life ahead. What is important is that the boy, if found guilty, is given the maximum punishment because this cannot be allowed to happen again,” said a councillor of the Cur chorem-Cacora Municipal Council, on condition of ano nymity. According to a relative, the accused did not financial ly extort the victim but allegedly shared the videos with friends. “However, he was never expected to flaunt the vid eos with his friends. The matter took a serious turn after it was reported in the press,” she claimed. The case first came to light after a report in a vernacular newspaper. “We went to the police station and demanded that the authenticity of the report be checked,” said local resident Pradeep Kakodkar. “We asked the police to inves tigate and, if the report was found to be wrong, to repri mand the journalist — and if right, the accused should be arrested. The journalist was called and then divulged the name of the accused to the police, and the alleged crime has unfolded since,” he added. While there are unverified claims that the number of victims could exceed double digits, investigators have not confirmed this. “As of now, four victims have come forward, and the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch as victims are from the jurisdictions of different police stations,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity. Some villagers say there were warning signs in the ac cused’s behaviour. “From the way he dressed and his arro gance, I was not the type to trust my children around him. I used to see him riding his bike, but never did I expect him to do what he is supposed to have done,” said one resident. “Now that the news is spreading around the village, my child admits that she was being courted by him. Their re lationship was limited to a few kisses, though at times he wanted to take it further and wasn’t allowed,” said a rela tive of another victim. Others recall troubling behaviour in hindsight. “I knew him as a badly brought-up brat who would zip around on his bike when drunk. But I never expected him to do this. There were times when he would roam around scantily dressed,” said a neighbour from the same ward, requesting anonymity. Amid the outrage, some suspect the possibility of a larg er network. “Something tells me he is not the only person involved in this perverted activity. There could be more of his friends involved, or even some older people. This is a crime of the nouveau riche—and a disgusting one,” said an elderly resident. Another villager drew parallels with past incidents. “I had once read in O Heraldo about someone from outside filming girls from Mapusa and extorting money from them. It is painful that our own Goan boys have now resorted to such crimes,” he said. As investigations continue, Curchorem remains a village in distress — caught between outrage and introspection, hoping for justice.
