Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday claimed that 90% of crimes in the state are committed by migrant labourers.

“Every migrant labourer working in Goa should possess a labour card,” Sawant said on Monday at a Labour Day event in Panjim, reported The Indian Express. “...After committing a crime here, migrant labourers return to their state and it becomes difficult to catch them. If we see the ratio, maximum 90% of the crimes in Goa are done by migrant labourers. Be it from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh or from other areas.”

Sawant added that the state government has roped in two non-governmental organisations to ensure that all labourers are issued identity cards. The facility to enroll the labourers for the card will be made available online soon, he said.

Once migrant labourers are registered with the state labour department, the government will have a database of their addresses, which will help the police in investigation, Sawant said.

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In March, an employee from Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, who worked at a resort in Goa, was arrested for allegedly attacking a Dutch tourist and a local, reported ANI. On March 25, two migrant workers, one from Assam and another from Jharkhand, who worked at a hotel, were arrested from north Goa area for allegedly assaulting a Russian woman, reported PTI.

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