16 Sep 2021  |   05:41am IST

Goa’s crime rate against foreigners dips drastically, but with no relief

Still remains among top five States in crime against tourists, records NCRB
Goa’s crime rate against foreigners dips drastically, but with no relief

Team Herald


PANJIM: Goa has reported over 200 per cent decline in cases against foreign nationals Likewise. Goa also saw reduced rate of crimes against women in 2020 compared to previous 2 years, but what remains a worry is that it is among top five states that registered crime against these tourists. 

A sharp fall in cases is largely being attributed to restrictions in travel across the globe owing to COVID-19, which was declared a global pandemic in early 2020.

As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Goa witnessed 11 crimes against foreigners from 34 cases recorded back in 2018. It is also around half the number when compared to the 21 cases recorded across 2019.

Goa is among the top five States when it comes to crimes against foreigners after Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka and ahead of other popular tourist States such as Kerala, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. These States also cater to large number of foreign tourists but have reported far less cases than in Goa.

The countrywide statistics indicate that theft is the most common form of crime against foreigners followed by rape which comes in at a distant second followed by human trafficking, molestation, assault and attempted murder in that order.

The Union government cancelled all existing tourist visas and has till date not granted fresh tourist visas resulting in a complete halt on new arrivals for the past one and a half years.

The State has time and again grabbed international headlines for all the wrong reasons. In 2008, the death of British teenager Scarlet Keeling Eden raised questions over the safety of foreigners in Goa. 

Finnish youth Felix Dahl's death and Irish woman Danielle McLaughlin's rape and murder are among other cases that snowballed into a global outrage. There was also a time when some countries also issued travel advisories leading to a major embarrassment. 

The NCRB report also indicates hike in registration of cases in 2020. In 2018, the State recorded 2740 cases followed by 2465 cases in the following year and 3393 cases in 2020. The rate of cognisable crime is 218.5. 

The last year also registered 34 murder cases in which 37 were victims of the offense while three cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was recorded during the same period. The number of culpable homicide victims was also three in number. 

A total of 45 kidnapping incidents were reported in 2020 in which 49 individuals were victims.

In fact, NCRB report finds 28 percent jump in registration of cases. 


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar