In Goa, crimes by foreigners more than 4x number of crimes against them: NCRB data

Panaji: Crimes committed by foreigners in Goa have been more than four times the number of offences committed against them.

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that from 2020 to June 2022, Goa police have registered 224 cases involving foreigners — of these, 187 offences were committed by them and in 37 cases, they were the victims.

DGP Jaspal Singh said that the rise in number is mostly because cases under both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the NDPS Act have been considered. “Earlier, only IPC cases were considered; in Goa, most foreigners are arrested under the NDPS Act,” he said.

Cases in which foreigners have been booked or arrested across the country include attempt to murder, rape, rioting, assault on public servants, cheating, offences under the Foreigners Act, immoral trafficking, possession and peddling of narcotics, and theft.

In Goa, Russians and Nigerians account for the bulk of foreigners involved in narcotics cases. While Bulgarians are usually involved in ATM frauds, Tanzanians are often booked for overstaying or for being without valid travel documents, police said.

A senior Goa police officer said that the law applies equally to all, including international tourists, and the police take lawful action against all persons involved in crimes.

Some crimes perpetrated by foreigners in Goa bear the hallmarks of classic scams. A case in point is the con pulled off by a 39-year-old Nigerian national, Ifeanyi Collins Chikwendu, who was recently arrested by Goa’s cybercrime police station in Ribandar, near Panaji. He was held for cheating a person from South Goa of over Rs 5 lakh by promising the person a job in New Zealand.

Police said that the complainant had registered with a website which had advertised jobs. Chikwendu interacted with the person online several times and then made a direct approach. Chikwendu asked for the money to process the application. In time, the applicant realised the offer was bogus.

In another case, a couple of foreigners ran afoul of law while being in custody. Colvale police had booked two foreign nationals for assaulting the matron of the central jail in that area. Police said that both the accused were taken to a phone booth inside the jail to allow them to call their relatives. While they were being taken back into their cell, an argument erupted and they pushed the matron.

The state government has opened a detention centre at Mapusa.


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