Australian police today 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.
