“Goa is a popular tourist destination, and lakhs of tourists visit Goa every year,” said SP (crime branch) Shobhit Saxena. “Goa police are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all persons in Goa. The law applies equally to all, and the police take lawful action against all persons involved in crimes.”
The new National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) statistics for crimes in Goa says that the number of crimes committed by foreigners is 5 times higher than crimes against them. There had been 21 cases reported on crimes against foreigners, on the other hand, there had been 110 cases registered for offenses committed by them.
A senior officer of the police said that since Goa receives more foreign tourists as compared to other states, the number of offenses is also bound to be more.
A total of 409 crimes against foreigners were reported at the national level in 2019, with Delhi ranking 123 cases, followed by Maharashtra (48), Karnataka (46), and Tamil Nadu (23).
The report also reveals 2,251 offenses committed by foreigners. West Bengal led the list with 744 cases, followed by Delhi (264) and Maharashtra (237). No such crimes were reported in Jharkhand, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, and Odisha.
Cases in which foreigners have been detained or convicted around the nation include attempted murder, robbery, rioting, abuse of public servants, stealing, crimes under the Foreigners Act, unethical trafficking, possession, and peddling of drugs, and theft.
The statistics revealed by the NCRB is part of the annual ‘Crime in India’ reports, in which the bureau compiles and publishes data on various crimes committed by and against foreigners across the country.
In Goa specifically, Russians and Nigerians have been shown to be involved in narcotics, Bulgarians in ATM fraud, and Tanzanians are often booked for not having valid documents.
The State government in order to reduce the number of crimes by foreigners has opened up a detention center for them in Mapusa. This center has been operational since May and has recently identified 13 detainees testing positive for corona.
