Oz police intensifies Garg killer hunt; backs Indian advisory

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Jan 7 (PTI) Australian police Thursday stepped
up efforts to nab the killer of a 21-year-old Indian and
launched a 'search and seize' operation to curb street crimes
amid a spate of assaults on the community which has led to a
whopping 46 per cent slump in student visa applicants from
India.
Inspector Bernie Edwards, Australia's leading homicide
squad detective, appealed to the public for information on the
murder of Nitin Garg in a Melbourne park last Saturday night.
Edwards asked the killer to surrender, guaranteeing him
safety. He described the murder as a "senseless act".
The Victoria Police said they supported the general
statements made in the recent travel advisory issued by India
for its students that Melbourne had seen an increase in
violence, and that this was often "accompanied by verbal
abuse, fuelled by alcohol and drugs."
In a bid to crack down on rising street crimes, Victoria
Police has started randomly searching for weapons in some of
the troubled areas. The trial 'search and seize blitz', dubbed
'Operation Omni', is made possible after beefing up of police
powers and is expected to be expanded to other suburbs.
Meanwhile, Acting Victoria Premier Rob Hulls met Indian
High Commissioner Sujata Singh and Consul General in Melbourne
Anita Nayar to reassure them that the authorities were doing
everything possible to bring Garg's killer to justice and that
the state is a safe place to study.
Amid security concerns, Australia has experienced a
decline of 46 per cent in the number of Indians applying for
student visas last year, the Immigration Department has said.
The total number of student visa applications from around
the world also dropped by over 20 per cent.
However, Department's spokesman Sandy Logan said issues
of racism and violence against foreign students were not the
main reasons for the slide in visa applications.
It was also due to stricter and tougher scrutiny of
applications and the immigration department has been rejecting
a higher number of applications from India, he said. "It is
correct to say that there has been a decline in the number of
student visa applications coming from India," he added.
India Wednesday issued an advisory asking its citizens
studying or planning to study in Australia to take certain
basic precautions to ensure their safety.
Speaking about the increased police powers, Premier
Hulls said, "The tragic death of Nitin Garg in recent times
confirms absolutely that we have to do everything we can to
support police to wipe out street crime, to wipe out knife-
related crime and that's why these powers are so important."
According to media reports here, a team of officers
patrolled Footscray train station Thursday searching for
knives.
Deputy Police Commissioner Kieran Walshe said police were
required to give the public seven days' notice of planned
search operations but other, intelligence-based, searches
could be carried out without warning.
People would be scanned with a metal detector wand, then
frisked and body-searched if required, he said.
"I am confident that these laws are going to give us a
great opportunity to take weapons out of the community,"
Walshe said. PTI NC
ANU