Few years ago when a number of crimes against foreign tourists to India were reported, the Govt of India started a campaign with the tag line 'Atithi Devo Bhava' appealing to our people to treat tourists with the same respect as God and to develop a sense of responsibility towards our guests. It did have some effect initially.
In Goa too we had a number of cases of crime against foreign tourists where they were cheated, robbed and even raped. The police do act against such crimes but we cannot say Goa is free of such crimes. Very recently it has been reported that a criminal group in Anjuna approaches foreign tourists, plant drugs in their bags and then someone dressed as a cop tells the tourists that they are suspects. The victim is then asked to hand over cash, credit card, etc. Some Japanese tourists are reported to have been victims of such crime with the result that the Consulate General of Japan has issued an advisory to its tourists to take care when going to Anjuna beach in Goa. This is a matter of shame for Goa even though the gang may not be of Goans. The authorities should nab this group and come down heavily on such crimes before Goa's image is tarnished for good.
