Delhi most unsafe for foreigners, reveals NCRB data

 Delhi is among the most unsafe  places for foreigners in India with 164 cases of heinous crimes  registered here in 2014, the latest data released by the National Crime Record  Bureau (NCRB) has revealed. Of the 164 foreigners targeted, 135 were  tourists.

Goa follows close on the heels of the national capital  with 73 cases, while Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan follow with 66, 59  and 36 cases respectively.

The cases pertain to crimes like murder, attempt to  murder, rape, molestation, kidnapping, robbery, cheating, forgery and theft.

Out of the total 486 cases of crime against foreigners  registered in India, 384 crimes were against tourists, while in 102 cases  foreigners here on business visa or for other work were targeted.

Tour operator Anil Kanthale  told IANS: "Many women tourists say they do not want to visit Delhi as they find  it insecure. But the situation was not  so bad before the December 16, 2012 gang rape  incident."

"The gang rape  case has damaged Delhi's reputation as a safe-for-tourists city. A  rape-cum-robbery case with a Danish woman in January this year also spread a  sense of insecurity among foreign tourists," he said.

When contacted, top police officials were tight-lipped  over the issue.
"If any crime takes place in the city, everyone targets the police. I accept that it's our responsibility to provide a secure environment to  those living in Delhi, but most of the crimes occur when victims are not careful  about their safety," a police officer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

The officer also said that foreigners are easily targeted  as they are not familiar with the city.

"We take every  case against any foreigner on a priority basis and try to solve it as soon as  possible by arresting the criminal. We also ensure the safety of every  foreigner," the officer added.

Goa is the second most unsafe place with 73 cases of  crime against foreigners, including 66 cases in which tourists were  affected.

Uttar Pradesh with 66 cases, including 64 tourists, is on  third position.
Maharashtra saw 59 such cases, including 25 tourists and  34 other foreigners living there, being registered followed by Rajasthan with 36  cases, including 31 tourists.

States where no crime against foreigners was registered  are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim,  Tripura and Uttarakhand.

Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram and Odisha registered only one  case each. Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana were among the states  where only two cases of crimes against foreigners each were registered.

Apart from Delhi, Puducherry and Chandigarh were the only  two Union Territories where foreigners were attacked, with seven and two cases,  respectively.

However, there was not a single crime case against any  foreigner in the remaining four Union Territories.

"Of the total 486 cases of crime against foreigners, 260  cases were of robbery, followed by 39 cases of molestation and 22 cases of  rape," the NCRB data said.

It said that five foreigners, including four tourists,  were killed in India while four were attacked for the purpose of murder.
The NCRB data said that three foreigners were kidnapped  in 2014.