Aus: 250 Indians charged with assault last year

More than 250 Indians have been accused of assault in Victoria during 2008-09, with nearly 86 of them for sex abuse, the latest figures from Australian police on violent crimes claim.

86 Indian nationals or Australians born in India were processed by the Victorian police for rape and sex assaults, 12 for aggravated burglary, 8 for abduction and two for murder, the latest report by Herald Sun on the crime statistics kept by the police for 24 foreign-related groups said. New Zealanders and Britons were accused of more violent crimes. However, earlier this month, Victorian Police refused to release figures on violent attacks against Indians stating they were over-represented as robbery victims. Police said those figures were "subjective and open to interpretation".

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Victorian government is facing a stiff pressure over the recent attacks on Indians after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott joined his state counterpart Ted Baillieu last week in claiming that Victoria has a problem with racially motivated street crime. Demographer Bernard Salt said the Indian population in the city had risen rapidly in recent years and now numbered about 1,25,000, second only to those born in Britain. "If they're only number three then they're actually less predisposed to crime than the balance of the community".

The crime figures show that for males aged 20-29, Indians and New Zealanders were the most likely to be interviewed by police for a crime. "It does not lead to a conclusion that young Indian men are more likely to offend," Salt said.