TL;DR In the year 2023, a total of 4,829 foreign nationals were booked for various crimes in India, compared to 266 foreign victims of crimes in India. Most foreign nationals booked were linked to immigration and documentation violations rather than violent offences, while foreign victims were more commonly affected by theft, fraud, assault, and gender-based violence. Overall, NCRB data shows that foreigners in India are heavily represented in regulatory enforcement systems while also facing significant safety risks.

Context

Foreigners in India are often discussed through fragmented headlines. One week, the focus may be on illegal migration, another on cyber fraud, and another on crimes involving tourists. These isolated stories can create distorted perceptions. However, when viewed through national crime statistics, a more complex reality emerges.

The National Crime Records Bureau’s annual Crime in India report provides data on both crimes committed by foreign nationals and crimes where foreigners are victims. This dual perspective allows us to move beyond stereotypes and ask a more meaningful question: are foreigners in India primarily offenders, victims, or both?

Who Compiles This Data?
The data comes from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. NCRB compiles annual crime statistics from police departments across India, covering offences under both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).

Where can I download Clean & Structured Data on Foreigner Crimes?

Clean, standardised, structured, and ready-to-use datasets related to crimes committed by foreigners, crimes against foreigners, country-wise foreign accused patterns, and related NCRB datasets can be downloaded from Dataful.

Key Insights

Most Foreigners booked for crimes related to regulations

In the year 2023, a total of 4,829 foreign nationals were booked for various crimes in India, compared to 266 foreign victims of crimes in India. This large disparity is primarily shaped by administrative and immigration-related offences rather than violent crime alone.

A substantial share of foreign nationals appear in NCRB records due to visa overstays, border violations, passport issues, or registration non-compliance. As a result, foreign accused totals are significantly shaped by regulatory and legal enforcement systems.

Most crimes committed by foreigners are regulatory, not violent

The largest share of crimes committed by foreigners came under the Foreigner Act and Registration laws (1,234 cases) and the Passport Act (451 cases). Together, these categories accounted for nearly 66% of all recorded offences.

This indicates that most foreign accused cases are linked to migration, documentation, and compliance issues rather than violent criminal acts.

Certain nationalities dominate specific offense patterns

Those from the following nationalities dominated the number of foreign nationals booked in India in 2023:

• Bangladesh: 3,214 persons

• Nigeria: 472 persons

• Nepal: 336 persons

• Myanmar: 275 persons

• Sri Lanka: 134 persons

Bangladesh accounted for the largest share of foreign nationals booked, primarily in immigration and passport-related violations. Nigeria showed stronger representation in NDPS, fraud, and IT-related offences. These patterns suggest that nationality distribution is influenced not only by offence categories, but also by migration geography, border dynamics, and law enforcement priorities.

Crimes against foreigners are more likely to involve theft, sexual violence, and fraud

Crimes against foreigners were led by theft (46 victims), followed by rape (27 victims), assault on women (22 victims), and cheating (21 victims).

This distribution shows that foreign nationals in India are more commonly affected by property crime, fraud, and gender-based violence than by high-volume violent crime categories.

Safety concerns for foreign women remain significant

In 2023, about 50 out of 266 foreign victims were affected by gender-based crimes such as rape, assault, and modesty-related offences.

This means a notable share of crimes against foreign women involved sexual violence, harassment, or exploitation, highlighting the continued presence of gender-specific safety risks within foreign victimisation data.

Why Does It Matter?
The NCRB data highlights two major patterns: foreigners in India are frequently represented in crime records through administrative and immigration law enforcement, while also facing notable risks as victims of theft, violence, and exploitation.

This dual pattern shows that foreigner-related crime statistics are shaped both by migration regulation systems and by conventional public safety concerns.

Key Numbers (2023)

Total cases:

• Foreign accused booked in various crimes: 4,829

• Foreign victims of Crimes in India: 266

Largest crime categories by foreigners:

• Foreigner Act violations: 1234 cases

• Passport Act: 451 cases

• NDPS Act: 330 cases

Top accused nationalities:

• Bangladesh: 3,214 persons

• Nigeria: 472 persons

• Nepal: 336 persons

• Myanmar: 275 persons

Top Crime Categories of Foreign Victims

• Theft: 46

• Rape: 27

• Assault on women: 22

• Cheating: 21