Goa Cash-for-Jobs Probe Deepens After Fresh FIR as Police Flag Gaps in Accused’s Claims

Overview

• Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed a new crime branch FIR and said a thorough investigation is underway.
• The crime branch said several assertions by accused Pooja Naik do not match records and cited occupancy documents for a Porvorim flat she named as a handover site since 2019.
• Naik alleged she paid Rs 17.68 crore for 613 posts between 2019 and 2022 and publicly named Power Minister Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar along with an IAS officer and a PWD officer.
• Dhavalikar and the MGP denied any role, said Naik never worked with them, emphasized the party was not in government during that period, and called for a full probe to identify any “mastermind.”
• AAP and opposition leaders demanded a judicial or CBI inquiry and urged the minister to step down, as police re-questioned Naik for hours and review her statements for next steps.