Kiwis far safer in India than Indians in New Zealand

WELLINGTON: Indians are facing a tough time in New Zealand and are more victims of crime here in comparison to Kiwis in India.

New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that in 2009 a total of 31 New Zealanders sought consular help from the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi.

A spokesman said of these, four were categorised as "victims of crime" and none of them violent.

Stuff.co.nz reports that over the same time, four Indian nationals were homicide victims in New Zealand including a 78-year-old Jastmatbhai Patel, who was hauled out of his van and mortally beaten on the roadside.

The latest incident occurred in January this year when Indian national and father of two, taxi driver Hiren Mohini, was stabbed to death in Auckland.

In the time New Zealanders were complaining about bag snatching in Delhi, two other Indians were killed, including bottle store worker Navtej Singh and sixteen year old dairy worker Sai Krishna Naidu.

Indian Weekender magazine, making its first anniversary as a publication, noted that it had been a depressing time for Indians in New Zealand.