log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 2024 16 pages The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO.171 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 13 Cooking up a storm with Ira Dubey Male infertility myths busted Rasas of Ramayana Debunking misconceptions and providing facts for informed fertility decisions Aishwarya Harish, a bharatanatyam exponent, explores varied rasas hidden in the tales of the Ramayana SPORTS »PAGE 8 Head’s masterclass and Aussie pacers leave India reeling See clearly, eat smart FOOD, DANCE, & MORE Shami to play last two Tests of Australia tour Aamir talks about possibility of working with SRK, Salman... ‘We’ll have to wait for right script’ >> SEE PG 2 SANJIVANI’S FALL: A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW IN SHORT >> Investment scam: Cops make 1st arrest PANAJI: The Crime Branch on Saturday arrested Sunita Rodrigues, ex-wife of main accused Myron, in the multi-crore investment scam that saw hundreds of investors duped. Crime Branch SP Rahul Gupta said she was arrested after the investigation revealed she was actively involved in the fraudulent activities and played a crucial role in the scam. >> See pg 3 Colva says ‘no’ to motor paragliding MARGAO: Colva panchayat has rejected permission for operation of motor paragliding at the world famous Colva beach. The panchayat has further resolved to revoke the NOC issued to the Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd for the installation of pumping stations near Colva church road.  >> See pg 3 Goa BJP to get new prez in Jan PANAJI: Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh on Saturday said that the BJP Goa unit will get its new President in January 2025. “New BJP Goa President will be elected in January 2025,” he said addressing a press conference. 9 MAGAZINE MAGAZ Celebrating Immaculate Conception of Mary Uniting with youth against corruption: Shaping tomorrow’s integrity Goa’s rich history: From ancient dynasties to Portuguese rule and cultural harmony Equitable compensation for land acquisition: Balancing public and individual rights 11 North Goa legislator battles ‘sextortion’, files complaint POLICE COMPLAINT SPEAKS OF MORPHED VULGAR VIDEO CONTAINING MLA’s IDENTITY, DEMAND OF `5 CRORE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A MLA from North Goa has accused an Odisha native of exploiting their acquaintance to access sensitive information including his bank accounts and election affidavit and circulating a morphed vulgar video containing his identity. He claimed that Kukesh Rauta used the affidavit to calculate his net worth and initiate extortion demands, since over a year. The harassment allegedly began shortly after the MLA assumed office in March 2022, after contesting the general assembly elections in February 2022. The purportedly morphed video went viral on social media on Saturday despite Rauta’s custody after his arrest on December 4. The accused BJP guns for MLA’s resignation PANAJI: Former Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo has called for the resignation of a sitting MLA whose alleged morphed vulgar video has gone viral. Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters in Panaji on Saturday, Ticlo described the incident as “disgraceful” and questioned why the MLA heeded to the accused’s extortion demand if he was innocent. “He should immediately resign. There is no place for a person like him in politics. This is completely unbelievable and disgraceful. A person like this should not be holding such a position,” Ticlo, also party spokesperson, said. He further questioned how the video went viral despite the accused being in custody.  >> See pg 3 is said to be in possession of three more objectionable videos. The complaint to the Crime Branch on December 2 explained that he had known Rauta for some time, as the former had occasionally offered financial help. The MLA suspects that a perceived slight during the Christmas season last year, which is when he failed to respond to Rauta’s message, Bihar family follows Google maps to Goa, lands in forest SPENDS NIGHT IN VEHICLE WITHOUT NETWORK AGENCIES BELAGAVI A family from Bihar, on their way to Goa for a holiday, had to ensure a harrowing night in the Bhimgad forest in Karnataka’s Belagavi district after relying on Google maps for directions. Ranjit Das and his family were driving towards Goa when the navigation app suggested a route through the Shiroli and Hemmadaga areas. Unaware of the impending ordeal, they followed the instructions, which led them 7-8 kilometres deep into the dense Bhimgad forest. With no mobile network, the family reportedly found themselves stranded and unable to call for assistance. Forced to spend the night in their vehicle, they remained isolated in the unfamiliar and potentially dangerous terrain. The next day, Das walked nearly four kilometres in search of mobile connectivity. Finally regaining network coverage, he contacted emergency services through the helpline number. Responding LOST AND FOUND IN BHIMGAD „„Ranjit and his family drive towards Goa „„Navigation app suggest route through Shiroli & Hemmadaga areas *They follow instructions, which lead them 7-8 km deep into dense Bhimgad forest „„With no mobile network, family finds themselves stranded & unable to call for assistance to his call, the local police arrived and rescued the family. “The Belagavi police control room passed the information to the Khanapur police, who used GPS coordinates to locate the family and reach them with the help of villagers,” Khanapur police inspector Manjunath Nayak was quoted as saying. He further mentioned that the family was fortunate to find mobile connectivity, as the forest is home to diverse wildlife, with a recent bear attack in the area leaving a „„Forced to spend night in their vehicle, remain isolated „„Next day, Das walks 4 kilometres in search of mobile connectivity „„Regains network coverage, contacts emergency services through helpline number „„Local police arrive, rescues family farmer seriously injured. This isn’t the first time Google Maps has come under scrutiny for inaccurate information. In late November, the authorities launched an investigation into Google Maps after three men died when their car drove off an incomplete bridge while following a route suggested by the app. The incident occurred as the group was heading to a wedding in UP. Police reported that the driver, relying on Google Maps, drove the car off the bridge and into a river. G oans and other visitors hoping to stay in Belagavi will have to rethink their plans, as the city’s hotels and lodges are packed to capacity ahead of the Winter Session of the Karnataka State Legislature, running from December 9 to 19. The 10-day session will be held at the imposing Suvarna Vidhan Soudha (SVS) spread in the campus of about 100 acres, about 12 km from Belagavi on NH748. Government of Karnataka will be spending around Rs 12 crore this session, 50 per cent lesser than the last year’s expenses. The bicameral Legislative house The Suvarna Vidhan Soudha. has 225 MLAs and 75 MLCs. Hotel owners have requested their guests from Goa and other places to avoid visiting the city for about 12 days commencing from Sunday. Apart from giving the facelift to the city to welcome the state government machinery, elaborate security arrangements have been made in wake of the top politicians and bureaucrats staying in Belagavi for over 10 days. Government of Karnataka is contemplating to set up a fivestar hotel in the SVS campus. Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan said that 2,756 rooms were booked in different hotels and government and private guest hous- es in the city for the accommodation of the VIPs and VVIPs, including ministers, legislators, officials, marshals, and media personnel, and they were already allocated. Deputy Director for Information and Publicity Gurunath Kadbur said that over 150 rooms have been booked only for media personnel as teams of various TV and print media will be arriving in Belagavi from Sunday. President of the The Belgaum Hotel Owners Association Ajay Pai said that the hoteliers have been directed by the authorities to make every room available for the official guests from Bengaluru and other places. “Since last few days we have asked our PTI MUMBAI Mumbai Police on Saturday received a message threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said. Police swung into action and traced the number from which the message was sent was traced to Ajmer in Rajasthan. A police team was immediately sent there to nab the suspect. The WhatsApp message, received on the helpline of the traffic police in the early hours, mentioned two ISI agents and a plot to carry out a blast to target Modi, he said. The investigators suspect that the sender is a mentally disturbed person or was under the influence of alcohol but further probe was on, the official added. A FIR was registered under the relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections. The helpline of the Mumbai traffic police has received hoax threat messages many times in the past. Earlier in November, Mum- MIDNIGHT ALERT The WhatsApp message, received on the helpline of the traffic police in the early hours, mentioned two ISI agents and a plot to carry out a bomb blast to target Modi might have provoked the accused into hatching the extortion plan. “Sometimes he got into video mode and apparently did recordings with me. I was not aware of the recording with a woman online and I believe he has morphed the video and is now seeking to misuse the same and to commence an extortion racket,” he stated with a copy of the complaint in possession of The Goan. The legislator further alleged that Rauta sent him a link as a “Diwali gift” which turned out to be morphed vulgar content. Shocked by the vulgar content, he immediately deleted the video. “Rauta began extortion demands and disclosed that when I had not sent him money, he googled me and realized I had contested elections and now was MLA,” he said. Rauta allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh but the MLA transferred Rs 55,000 to his accounts. On November 27, 2023 Rauta reportedly issued an ultimatum, threatening to release the video unless the full payment was made by November 30. The accused referred to the MLA’s disclosed assets in the election affidavit to justify his demands, which hiked to Rs 5 crores from earlier demand. “Do you want another three videos?” and warnings against pursuing legal action were explicit threats from Rauta. While Rauta is currently in police custody, the case has raised concerns about the possible involvement of others. Crime Branch sleuths declined to disclose further details stating the matter is under investigation. Booster shot for IPSCDL, `5 cr grant sanctioned Police hit the beach to spread word on safety, cyber crime THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has said it has been picked to get a Rs 5 crore grant under the CITIIS 2.0 programme, part of the Centre's initiative to better urban development across the country. IPSCDL said, the grant will be utilised to support Panaji’s ongoing smart city projects. CITIIS 2.0 has been conceived by the Centre's Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). It involves integrated waste management projects at the city level, climate-oriented reform actions at the State level and institutional strengthening and knowledge management at the national level. The Rs 5 crore grant awarded to IPSCDL will be utilized for initiatives aimed at addressing climate action through a structured, multi-component plan, including establishing the State Climate Centre for Cities (S-C3), a centralized hub for climate-related strategies. The second component will focus on setting up State and City-level climate data observatories to monitor and analyze environmental data. Belagavi to be out of bounds for Goans for 12 days LOUIS RODRIGUES THE GOAN I BELAGAVI Threat to kill PM sends Mumbai police in a tizzy regular guests from Goa and other places to avoid visiting Belagavi as all the available hotel rooms have been booked,” Pai said. City Police Commissioner, Iada Martin Marbaniang, said over 6,000 police personnel are being deployed in Belagavi city and SVS during the winter session. This includes six SP-level officials, 38 DySPs, 100 Circle Police Inspectors and 230 Police Sub Inspectors. Meanwhile, Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti said in order to avoid inconvenience to tourists and visitors to Belagavi during the winter session every year, the govt has planned to set up a hotel in the premises of the SVS. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa Police have intensified their efforts to create awareness about safety and cyber crimes by reaching out to locals and tourists in public places including beaches. The Pink Force has been tasked with promoting key helplines such as the bai Police’s traffic control room received a threatening call where the caller claimed a plan was in place to assassinate Modi. According to police sources, the caller has been identified as a woman. A case has been registered at Mumbai’s Amboli police station, and efforts are underway to apprehend her, police said. Initial reports suggest the woman is mentally disturbed, but authorities are proceeding with the investigation following standard procedures, police said. The police have launched an investigation and are adhering to all protocols. 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