# Indian IT consultant stabbed to death in Sydney



## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

The shocking news about an Indian IT consultant stabbed in Westmead,Sydney is on all channels and newpapers. 

Woman dies after reports of attack in western Sydney

This unconfronted, unprovoked attack has raised questions in the minds of many immigrants if they took the right decision.

What do most people think about human safety in Australian cities?


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## happybuddha (Sep 28, 2012)

This is very sad 
RIP


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## Scattley (Jul 30, 2012)

We need to wait until more information is made available to make comment.


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## mebfm2 (Nov 4, 2014)

@Scattley :

I always thought that Sydney is one of the safest cities in the world.

20 Of The Safest Cities In The World | Business Insider India

As you said it is better to wait before commenting for this particular unfortunate accident....but quick question... is walking in the sydney suburbs after night is unsafe ?


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## viju_009 (Nov 25, 2014)

Cowardly act by the stabber.brings back the debate is Australia safe for Indians


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## piyush1132003 (Oct 5, 2013)

Lets not say only Indians, these kind of things are common if person goes to any secluded places alone especially during night.
That applies travelling in the train at times too late in the night.

On a safer side, better carry few bucks always.

These kinds of incidents have happened before too with Aussie people.

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Expat Forum


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## Vijay24 (Jun 13, 2013)

mebfm2 said:


> @Scattley :
> 
> I always thought that Sydney is one of the safest cities in the world.
> 
> ...


It will be unsafe in most of the places, we have to be cautious about the surroundings though!


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## Scattley (Jul 30, 2012)

The incident happened in a large unlight park (you can't see the other side from the start kindof large) a couple of hours after dark. I for one would not walk through that park although I have no issues walking through Redfern at night alone. I tend to walk around parks at night rather than take the shortcut.


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## blackrider89 (Jul 14, 2014)

I got bashed by four guys (2 islanders and 2 aussie dicks) in Parramatta 2.5 years ago too. Lost one tooth and got head injury. Passed out but got hospitalized in a timely manner so nothing too serious. 

Thus we should take extra pre-caution when walking past areas like that. Sydney by night is unsafe by a large extent. It is still quite a livable city though. But prevention is better than cure.


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2015)

This is really sad. I cannot imagine the horrific experience the husband had to go through (he was on a phone call with her when she was attacked). May God give all the strength to the family.

@blackrider89 - Was there any racial motive behind the attack? Or was it just a matter of being at a wrong place at the wrong time?
Edit: How did the investigation into this event go? Were the culprits found and convicted?

Edit: People- this is why we should stay on the forums even after immigrating, be in touch, socialize and as much as possible, stay together and move in groups.


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## Sennara (Jul 31, 2013)

This is very sad. My condonlences to her family.

Sydney is generally safe during the day, but it might not feel so at night in many of its suburbs. Many suburbs are in dire need of better lighting. Unemployment, drug abuse, racism are all posing threats to people's safety. Homeless people are almost everywhere and make you feel uneasy. 

Parramatta being a busy business centre, it's still very quiet at night. It's better not to walk alone at any quiet corner there in the evening.

Some instances to share, one of my friends had been attacked in Redfern by some racist bogans in the evening. And when I studied in Canberra, a Chinese guy was stabbed to death along the biggest road in the city in early morning.

All I can say is, always be cautious and avoid walking alone outside at night.


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## urbanm (Aug 12, 2014)

This is so sad! Condolences to her family! 

But you should not worry I think. Walking through parks in the dark is dangerous, especially for women, regardless of the city you live in. All of us should be cautious, anywhere we go. Similar attacks happen here in Budapest as well, and I'm pretty sure it's not unheard of in India either.
Please take care of yourself and each other!


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## blackrider89 (Jul 14, 2014)

Form1229 said:


> This is really sad. I cannot imagine the horrific experience the husband had to go through (he was on a phone call with her when she was attacked). May God give all the strength to the family.
> 
> @blackrider89 - Was there any racial motive behind the attack? Or was it just a matter of being at a wrong place at the wrong time?
> Edit: How did the investigation into this event go? Were the culprits found and convicted?
> ...


They were arrested but apparently not convicted because I was not asked to attend the court. Nonetheless I couldn't care less: I am now an Aussie and have an ok life here so let past be past. They would have gotten a slap on the wrist at best; especially when they might be just minors or else. 

I have mixed views on that. Might have been racial motive (I am a Vietnamese btw) or just my bad luck who knows. If you ask me I would say both. But it happens everywhere right?

My advice is that Sydney is quite safe, no doubt about it. But take extra-precaution on the street during night time. The crime rate here is ever rising, as a correlation to the unemployment rate.


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2015)

Thanks for sharing blackrider89.

Back to the topic- on a news article, I read she "often" worked late. She used to ask a friend to pick her up, but she might have started to feel bad about having to ask so often.

From the looks of it, it seems she was not on a PR visa. 457 maybe. Just heard her relatives (on the Indian news) talking about her visa expiring in April and her plans to return back home.

The question is- do IT folks often have to work late? If they do, isn't the client office or her employer (Mindtree consulting) supposed to arrange for transportation?


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## rameshkd (Aug 26, 2011)

Form1229 said:


> Thanks for sharing blackrider89.
> 
> Back to the topic- on a news article, I read she "often" worked late. She used to ask a friend to pick her up, but she might have started to feel bad about having to ask so often.
> 
> ...


I've worked in Aus on a 457 earlier so speaking my experience, working late depends largely on the project involved. Regarding transport, most(almost all) of the Aussie companies provide Cab vouchers or reimburse the taxi bills if the person is working late or over weekends. I am not sure how much of this policy is followed by non-Aussie companies specially in the ITES sector where the only motive of the company is to bodyshop and make more money.


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## Guest (Mar 9, 2015)

Good to know that. Thanks for sharing, Ramesh.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

blackrider89 said:


> The crime rate here is ever rising, as a correlation to the unemployment rate.


This is an interesting observation. I've heard about it from my Aussie colleagues back in 2010-11 when there was a spate of attacks on Indian immigrants.

When the economy is bad, and unemployment rate running high, immigrants are invariably attacked. How many of you feel that way?


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

I think you are talking rubbish. First go to Australian news sites and see jow many other assaults, robberies, murders etc there were ignoring race. Funny how you only post about 1 person who happens to be Indian and assume it is racism. 

Sorry but if someone walking alone, mobile phone out at night in that area is likely to be mugged regardless of race. That area is where the street junkies and alcoholics hang out begging.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

I feel that 'hazard perception' is quite low among immigrants (especially Indians). For an average Indian roaming around alone in big cities even at night, is perfectly safe. They tend to carry the same belief when they go overseas. 

I used to walk around in Sydney and other suburbs after dark (6-7pm) and never thought it was unsafe, because it didn't look to be that way. Though many neighbourhoods were mostly residential, the streets were quite deserted after dark and I could not get why it was so. Thinking about it now, I feel I could have been on the receiving end.

If you haven't lived there long enough, whatever that 'appears' to be safe, is 'safe' for you. In India, unsafe places are those that very overtly appear unsafe. 

Now look at this situation- a guy on drugs and looking for 10 bucks, or another one doing odd jobs got fired or had a bad day found you out on the street, and since you were the only one he found - the chances of you getting banged up increased manifold.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

_shel said:


> Sorry but if someone walking alone, mobile phone out at night in that area is likely to be mugged regardless of race. That area is where the street junkies and alcoholics hang out begging.


agree. 9:30 pm is not a great time to walk alone.

It is strange that somebody wanting money would directly stab a person.


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## rameshkd (Aug 26, 2011)

A couple if years ago, a tv journalist/report got raped & murdered when she was returning from a pub late night. She was neither mugged nor did she have any personal issues with the killer. It just turned out to be her bad day, the killer was a psychotic. So, it's never easy to to say if an incident is racial. It could be anyone.


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## chennaiite (Feb 17, 2014)

Well said 



evangelist said:


> I feel that 'hazard perception' is quite low among immigrants (especially Indians). For an average Indian roaming around alone in big cities even at night, is perfectly safe. They tend to carry the same belief when they go overseas.
> 
> I used to walk around in Sydney and other suburbs after dark (6-7pm) and never thought it was unsafe, because it didn't look to be that way. Though many neighbourhoods were mostly residential, the streets were quite deserted after dark and I could not get why it was so. Thinking about it now, I feel I could have been on the receiving end.
> 
> ...


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

evangelist said:


> agree. 9:30 pm is not a great time to walk alone.
> 
> It is strange that somebody wanting money would directly stab a person.


 They frequently dont but resist their attempts and they will  westmead is quite safe, my in laws live there but that spot is the blight of the area. They need to do more to round up these layabouts instead of allowing them to congregate aggressively begging & drinking day & night.


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

Why is it that every time something unfortunate like this happens, people on the forum cry racism? Yes, there are racist-motivated attacks that happen at times but could it be that this unfortunate person just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed by someone who just hated all people, not just people of Indian descent?

Or are people so deluded into thinking that Australia is this fantasy land where everyone is laying on a beach and kangaroos hop around merrily while Men at Work songs play in the background? Bad things happen here to people of ALL races. There ARE bad neighbourhoods where if you don't have your wits about you and you do things to make yourself stand out (like talking on a phone while walking down a dark street late at night), you make yourself a target. There are even GOOD neighbourhoods where these kinds of things happen. Opportunistic crimes can happen anywhere, to anyone.

Someone earlier mentioned the poor Irish woman who was raped and murdered just off one of the busiest streets in inner north Melbourne a couple years ago (just after I moved here actually). She wasn't targeted because she was Irish. She was targeted because she was a woman who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and a horrible, psychotic man preyed on her. Thankfully, the man was caught and will hopefully be in prison for the rest of his life, and we can only hope that this woman's killer will meet the same fate.


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## Janardhan.G (May 29, 2013)

no offence, much worst things are happening in India too..i think it should not be linked to racism, it may happen to any one any where, ant time.


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## Danav_Singh (Sep 1, 2014)

Janardhan.G said:


> no offence, much worst things are happening in India too..i think it should not be linked to racism, it may happen to any one any where, ant time.


Its definately not racism....but i am little worried looking at the way she was killed...it a cold blooded murder and without any strong reason....


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## Janardhan.G (May 29, 2013)

Danav_Singh said:


> Its definately not racism....but i am little worried looking at the way she was killed...it a cold blooded murder and without any strong reason....


psycho's dont need any reason. what can we do other than being careful every time.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

ozbound12 said:


> Why is it that every time something unfortunate like this happens, people on the forum cry racism? Yes, there are racist-motivated attacks that happen at times but could it be that this unfortunate person.......


well, i dont think anybody has cried racism on this thread. 

The perception of wrong place and wrong time is quite subjective, and new immigrants may not have a clue about it.


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## shorefisher (Nov 11, 2014)

I pray to God, may Prabhu Arun soul rest in peace! I hope God gives her husband, daughter and the family the strength to overcome this situation.

I also pray that the devil who did this crime is caught before he does any more such attempts. Many such people are harmful to the society, no matter where they live.


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## Scattley (Jul 30, 2012)

She would have left work at around 8pm to be there at 9-9.30pm. 8pm is not really working late for Sydney workers...its the late end of a normal working day sure but not late enough to warrant the company to spend $100 on a cab for each and every worker. She made the on the spot decision to walk through a dark unlight park (the photos of this path at 9pm are almost completely pitch black) distracted by talking on her phone, instead of the extra 3-5 minutes walk to go around the park has cost her her life.


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## skksundar (Apr 29, 2014)

News channels are airing different stories about the incident in india. Heard one version of it - She was returning home after celebrating holi and was talking to her husband over phone even when she was stabbed. 

My brother was saying that particular suburb is pretty unsafe. But people who would need save money would choose this area! Either ways, its being spiced up too much!


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2015)

That is typical Indian media. I've heard various mistakes in their reporting- starting from her age to visa type, and what not. NSW police have released CCTV footage of her walking through and out of Parramatta station/ platform. Does not look like she was returning from any sort of holi celebration. The thing that you heard about Westmead location/ suburb isn't true either.


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

Again rubbish lol my in laws live in westmead as did we. I feel very safe their in all, it is a very mixed area, lots of migrants due to the proximity to the university and children's hospital. When we go back thats where we will be heading. 

However that on little corner where she was killed right near the train station is not nice. Layabouts, drinkers and agressive begging but it doesn't extend much further than that tiny area.


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## skksundar (Apr 29, 2014)

_shel said:


> Again rubbish lol my in laws live in westmead as did we. I feel very safe their in all, it is a very mixed area, lots of migrants due to the proximity to the university and children's hospital. When we go back thats where we will be heading.
> 
> However that on little corner where she was killed right near the train station is not nice. Layabouts, drinkers and agressive begging but it doesn't extend much further than that tiny area.


I was referring to Paramatta. And I am unsure of which is right or wrong! still waiting to experiment ;-)


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

evangelist said:


> well, i dont think anybody has cried racism on this thread.


Oh really? The evidence in the thread (including one of your own posts) says otherwise.



viju_009 said:


> Cowardly act by the stabber.brings back the debate is Australia safe for Indians





Sennara said:


> Some instances to share, one of my friends had been attacked in Redfern by some racist bogans in the evening. And when I studied in Canberra, a Chinese guy was stabbed to death along the biggest road in the city in early morning.





evangelist said:


> This is an interesting observation. I've heard about it from my Aussie colleagues back in 2010-11 when there was a spate of attacks on Indian immigrants.
> 
> When the economy is bad, and unemployment rate running high, immigrants are invariably attacked. How many of you feel that way?


It's unfortunate that the Indian media is turning it into a racial issue as well, serving only to terrify people more and make them think that all Australians are trying to kill them.


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

Thank you ozbound. The whole persecutionary posts from people who think that anything that happens to an Indian must be racisit is frankly paranoia!


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

urbanm said:


> This is so sad! Condolences to her family!
> 
> But you should not worry I think. Walking through parks in the dark is dangerous, especially for women, regardless of the city you live in. All of us should be cautious, anywhere we go. Similar attacks happen here in Budapest as well, and I'm pretty sure it's not unheard of in India either.
> Please take care of yourself and each other!


While you are right, India is slightly different in this regard. Most of the cities in India are pretty densely populated and hence generally till well past midnight there are enough people in all places where you can walk! You will rarely be alone in the whole area. Having said that, if you happen to be all alone in an area by chance, crimes would occur in India too.


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## dj_Baba (Jan 21, 2015)

_shel said:


> Thank you ozbound. The whole persecutionary posts from people who think that anything that happens to an Indian must be racisit is frankly paranoia!


Hi

I had sent you a PM requesting your assistance. Would appreciate a response. 

Regards


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

kettlerope said:


> While you are right, India is slightly different in this regard. Most of the cities in India are pretty densely populated and hence generally till well past midnight there are enough people in all places where you can walk! You will rarely be alone in the whole area. Having said that, if you happen to be all alone in an area by chance, crimes would occur in India too.


Indian cities are not exactly the safest places in the world either. Just ask the woman who was gang raped and beaten on a bus in Delhi in 2012. Or the journalist who was gang raped in Mumbai in 2013. Being alone vs being surrounded by heaps of people is not the issue. Crimes like this can happen ANYWHERE, whether it's the most crowded city in the world or the most desolate.


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## Danav_Singh (Sep 1, 2014)

ozbound12 said:


> Indian cities are not exactly the safest places in the world either. Just ask the woman who was gang raped and beaten on a bus in Delhi in 2012. Or the journalist who was gang raped in Mumbai in 2013. Being alone vs being surrounded by heaps of people is not the issue. Crimes like this can happen ANYWHERE, whether it's the most crowded city in the world or the most desolate.


Well, thanks to Indian and international media who thinks rapes happen in India only...

The stats are actually shocking...
Sweden is the rape capital followed by New Zealand,USA, Belgium and UK.....

And it is believed there is no safest place on earth than Sweden....

Its all about media perception....

Same goes for Australia....there is a media perception that all attacks on Indians are racial attacks which is not at all true.....


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

Danav_Singh said:


> Well, thanks to Indian and international media who thinks rapes happen in India only... The stats are actually shocking... Sweden is the rape capital followed by New Zealand,USA, Belgium and UK..... And it is believed there is no safest place on earth than Sweden.... Its all about media perception.... Same goes for Australia....there is a media perception that all attacks on Indians are racial attacks which is not at all true.....


I never said rapes only happen in India.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

skksundar said:


> I was referring to Paramatta. And I am unsure of which is right or wrong! still waiting to experiment ;-)


Paramatta area is pretty safe and thousands of Indians and other migrants have been living there for years. It's not less expensive by the way and one can't save more money by staying there. So, your info about it looks incorrect. Sorry to point it out though.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

ozbound12 said:


> I never said rapes only happen in India.


Ozbound is right! World-wide numbers, in fact, say that rapes happen many more in US and Europe than in India.. Just that in case of India, the news of rapes sync very well with other societal and semi-true wonder stories and also with core objective of media (mainly Indian) to increase TRP and catch more eye-balls. 

*Note:* Here is the source for above info: Top 10 Countries With Highest Rape Crime

I knew that some mods will ask for the definite source for this particular data, so I have mentioned it beforehand.


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> Ozbound is right! World-wide numbers, in fact, say that rapes happen many more in US and Europe than in India.. Just that in case of India, the news of rapes sync very well with other societal and semi-true wonder stories and also with core objective of media (mainly Indian) to increase TRP and catch more eye-balls.
> 
> *Note:* Here is the source for above info: Top 10 Countries With Highest Rape Crime
> 
> I knew that some mods will ask for the definite source for this particular data, so I have mentioned it beforehand.


 Looks like that was real scientific and evidence-based research 

Any better source? 

Far as I'm concerned **** happens everywhere to everyone. No matter what race, sex or anything else you are. Bad luck if it happens to you but 'it' can happen to anyone


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

ozbound12 said:


> Indian cities are not exactly the safest places in the world either. Just ask the woman who was gang raped and beaten on a bus in Delhi in 2012. Or the journalist who was gang raped in Mumbai in 2013. Being alone vs being surrounded by heaps of people is not the issue. Crimes like this can happen ANYWHERE, whether it's the most crowded city in the world or the most desolate.


You are right. But while Indian cities aren't the safest in the world, gun crimes are very low in India as compared to the US and some other western countries, resulting into lower number of murders. For example, open gun fire which happens now and then in US schools and universities for no reason, is something very unheard of in India in any era. Crime in India has more to do with money/robbery. On the other hand, many crimes that I read about in US, UK or Australia have no clear intentions behind them. Why would a person kill another (and in some cases, many) just like that? It's beyond my understanding and that of most Indians! I was in the US in 2007 when a gunman/student killed 32 people randomly for no apparent reason. I haven't seen that kinda crime ever in India - a country of over 1.25 billion people.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

_shel said:


> Thank you ozbound. The whole persecutionary posts from people who think that anything that happens to an Indian must be racisit is frankly paranoia!


Do these attackers actually ask their victims nationality before they commit the crime???

Jo xxx


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

jojo said:


> Do these attackers actually ask their victims nationality before they commit the crime???
> 
> Jo xxx


Jojo, they don't. Unfortunately the tragedy is that many attackers don't even know themselves why they are attacking innocent persons if not for money or revenge or religious matters!


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> Jojo, they don't. Unfortunately the tragedy is that many attackers don't even know themselves why they are attacking innocent persons if not for money or revenge or religious matters!


 They dont no, they probably dont have,a clue they are just fixated on their need. Money, power, punishment, revenge etc and it doesnt matter who bears the brunt  

I do wonder if the more severe punishments carried out in some countries work because community punishment and jail certainly doesn't and this coming from someone who work in criminal justice with offenders for 14 years!


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

evangelist said:


> I feel that 'hazard perception' is quite low among immigrants (especially Indians). For an average Indian roaming around alone in big cities even at night, is perfectly safe. They tend to carry the same belief when they go overseas.
> 
> I used to walk around in Sydney and other suburbs after dark (6-7pm) and never thought it was unsafe, because it didn't look to be that way. Though many neighbourhoods were mostly residential, the streets were quite deserted after dark and I could not get why it was so. Thinking about it now, I feel I could have been on the receiving end.
> 
> ...


So much agree with you! So contradicting actually - poverty is more in Indian sub-continent, but cities are still much safer at night than many those in so called 'developed' nations. I remember when I was in the US, there used to be gas station and 7-11 store robberies so often, specially in the night. This is so much rare in India.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

_shel said:


> They dont no, they probably dont have,a clue they are just fixated on their need. Money, power, punishment, revenge etc and it doesnt matter who bears the brunt
> 
> I do wonder if the more severe punishments carried out in some countries work because community punishment and jail certainly doesn't and this coming from someone who work in criminal justice with offenders for 14 years!


Well, I believe the Gulf countries have managed to be successful in controlling such crimes by imposing severe punishments. It should surely work, why not? More than that, though, why can't Aussie government put more police patrols at such crime-prone locations if they are already identified? Why can't our parks be safer in the nights too? What small tweaking in social life can be brought about to avoid making our streets look deserted at even as early as 8 pm? Why can't beggers and drug addicts be moved to one single place (under supervision) if the police already knows all places where they keep lying around? I know this all isn't possible and easy but these are just thoughts.. 

On a separate note, outermost suburb of Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata doesn't look deserted even at 9 pm (and 11 pm in summer).. why so??? I kept thinking and realized that the following are the reasons:

1) Many Indians tend to keep their main doors open till late evening (say 8 pm) 
2) Many people in India prefer to walk on their street with family/neighbours after having dinner (and Indians typically have dinner late)
3) When they don't have exams, kids in India play on the streets/parks till late (until their moms force them to come home )
4) There are neighbourhood shops along with houses which keep open till late
5) Indians like to go out reasonably late in night and have food/ice creams/snacks at famous road-side kiosks in the cities/towns apart from restaurants
6) Many housing complexes have watchmen in the night
7) Indian police doesn't let many drug addicts out on the streets and beggers in India are generally at crowded places and not in deserted places
8) There are so many auto rickshaw and taxi drivers standing in public areas till late night in most cities - their presence provides a feeling of safety and comfort to pedestrians
9) Residential areas in India are generally dense as I mentioned before, so one can't find much long stretches without any population except parks which aren't as big generally
10) You won't find criminals carrying guns and knives in India for petty crimes on roads - they are used mainly in high profile crimes such as loot etc. 
11) While India isn't a very rich country, our suburbs are fairly well lit 

People who lived in high-rise buildings in India won't be able to relate to some of these points but most others would be familar of these with regard to cities/towns in India. I guess some of these points help us remain a safer society in night despite our very high population and income disparity.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

_shel said:


> I think you are talking rubbish. First go to Australian news sites and see jow many other assaults, robberies, murders etc there were ignoring race. Funny how you only post about 1 person who happens to be Indian and assume it is racism.
> 
> Sorry but if someone walking alone, mobile phone out at night in that area is likely to be mugged regardless of race. That area is where the street junkies and alcoholics hang out begging.


If many of us know that street junkies and alcoholics hang out begging in that area, I am sure the police does know about it too. And if it does, then I don't know what to say now. . Do we say that our country doesn't have enough policemen to guard such a crime-prone area of the city - be it just in the nights? Naah..


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2015)

Its sad that such an unfortunate incident happen..... Its our responsibility that we should be particularly cautious after dark be it in home country or some other country... 

My experience so far here in Sydney is very good and its a very good place to live in but still i am very careful while going out alone in evening because streets get deserted after 7 PM. Parks & Stations are the places that we should avoid while alone.

This could happen to anyone -irrespective of his/her nationality so considering this as a racist attack - i don't agree. A robber/druggist/junkies wouldn't bother look at the nationality of a person before causing any harm.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> Well, I believe the Gulf countries have managed to be successful in controlling such crimes by imposing severe punishments. It should surely work, why not? More than that, though, why can't Aussie government put more police patrols at such crime-prone locations if they are already identified? Why can't our parks be safer in the nights too? What small tweaking in social life can be brought about to avoid making our streets look deserted at even as early as 8 pm? Why can't beggers and drug addicts be moved to one single place (under supervision) if the police already knows all places where they keep lying around? I know this all isn't possible and easy but these are just thoughts..
> 
> On a separate note, outermost suburb of Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata doesn't look deserted even at 9 pm (and 11 pm in summer).. why so??? I kept thinking and realized that the following are the reasons:
> 
> ...



Hi all,

Any update on this case? Hope it gets resolved.


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## ozbound12 (Mar 23, 2012)

kettlerope said:


> You are right. But while Indian cities aren't the safest in the world, gun crimes are very low in India as compared to the US and some other western countries, resulting into lower number of murders. For example, open gun fire which happens now and then in US schools and universities for no reason, is something very unheard of in India in any era. Crime in India has more to do with money/robbery. On the other hand, many crimes that I read about in US, UK or Australia have no clear intentions behind them. Why would a person kill another (and in some cases, many) just like that? It's beyond my understanding and that of most Indians! I was in the US in 2007 when a gunman/student killed 32 people randomly for no apparent reason. I haven't seen that kinda crime ever in India - a country of over 1.25 billion people.


We're not talking about the US, we're talking about Australia - they are two totally different countries on different sides of the planet with different historical and cultural backgrounds. Basically - different. (And the woman in Sydney wasn't shot so I don't know why we're even talking about guns.)

Australia has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world. It's not as though people are getting killed in parks here every day. These incidents are on the whole quite rare. (Australia has 1.1 homicides per 100,000, just slightly above the UK and New Zealand but below Ireland, Canada and Finland. Comparatively, India has a rate of 3.5 below the US and Iran but above Liberia, Egypt, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.)

The only reason you are aware of this particular case is because the Indian media have grabbed onto it and spun it into some sort of Australians-want-to-kill-Indians story.

By the way, India is no stranger to violent and heinous crimes. Aside from the vast number of terrorist-related attacks, here are some that I found just by doing a very basic Google search:

"House of horrors" murderer killed, dismembered and cannibalised 20 young women: 'House of horrors' cannibal murderer who raped and dismembered 19 young women and children to be hanged in India - Asia - World - The Independent

The "beer man" serial killer: Mumbai's serial killer beerman convicted - IBNLive

Serial killer raped and killed 19 women in 3 years (and then broke out of prison): Jaishankar | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Raped and murdered 10-17 young boys and girls: Darbara Singh | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

I'm guessing that the media probably don't report much on stories where only 1-2 people are killed since these serial killer stories are quite sparse. (Comparatively when things like that happen even in the US, they get massive amounts of media coverage.)

It sounds like the Indian media have done an excellent job of scaring everyone and making them think that they are taking their lives into their own hands by stepping on Australian soil.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> Well, I believe the Gulf countries have managed to be successful in controlling such crimes by imposing severe punishments. It should surely work, why not? More than that, though, why can't Aussie government put more police patrols at such crime-prone locations if they are already identified? Why can't our parks be safer in the nights too? What small tweaking in social life can be brought about to avoid making our streets look deserted at even as early as 8 pm? Why can't beggers and drug addicts be moved to one single place (under supervision) if the police already knows all places where they keep lying around? I know this all isn't possible and easy but these are just thoughts..
> 
> On a separate note, outermost suburb of Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata doesn't look deserted even at 9 pm (and 11 pm in summer).. why so??? I kept thinking and realized that the following are the reasons:
> 
> ...


Thanks, Rock. 

Indian guys who are living in Australia, do you agree with this?


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## FIFA_World_Cup_fan (Apr 25, 2014)

*Hmmm*



kettlerope said:


> Well, I believe the Gulf countries have managed to be successful in controlling such crimes by imposing severe punishments. It should surely work, why not? More than that, though, why can't Aussie government put more police patrols at such crime-prone locations if they are already identified? Why can't our parks be safer in the nights too? What small tweaking in social life can be brought about to avoid making our streets look deserted at even as early as 8 pm? Why can't beggers and drug addicts be moved to one single place (under supervision) if the police already knows all places where they keep lying around? I know this all isn't possible and easy but these are just thoughts..
> 
> On a separate note, outermost suburb of Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata doesn't look deserted even at 9 pm (and 11 pm in summer).. why so??? I kept thinking and realized that the following are the reasons:
> 
> ...



Hi Kettlerope -
For your above-quoted list / post ---

I partially agree and partially disagree ....... INDIA is a sum total of few Metropolitan cities and a whole lot of townships, tier II and tier III cities and whole lot of villages ....

U know something ----- there are only 20 to 30 % of the places as a whole; wherein MEDIA actually reaches and is able to provide coverage/news-tracking of sad incidents such as rape, petty crime, murders ...... More than 65% of these dont even get reported ...... And I dont even want to comment about the Police; law & order situation


SO; INDIA isnt safe either ..... 
some of the impressions that U have got isnt entirely true ..... As on today - New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore ---- all have a history of crimes and rapes ....

As I am writing this; I do feel SAD and ashamed .....


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## FIFA_World_Cup_fan (Apr 25, 2014)

*agree*



ozbound12 said:


> We're not talking about the US, we're talking about Australia - they are two totally different countries on different sides of the planet with different historical and cultural backgrounds. Basically - different. (And the woman in Sydney wasn't shot so I don't know why we're even talking about guns.)
> 
> Australia has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world. It's not as though people are getting killed in parks here every day. These incidents are on the whole quite rare. (Australia has 1.1 homicides per 100,000, just slightly above the UK and New Zealand but below Ireland, Canada and Finland. Comparatively, India has a rate of 3.5 below the US and Iran but above Liberia, Egypt, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.)
> 
> ...


I completely agree with this post by OZBOUND12.
Very valid observation.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

FIFA_World_Cup_fan said:


> I completely agree with this post by OZBOUND12.
> Very valid observation.


I too agree with you. I never wrote that India doesn't have rapes etc either in metros or in villages. All I have tried in the above post is to think of differences in the society for which a person walking in the public place in Indian metro cities (equivalent of Sydney) doesn't get killed for no reason at the time as early in night as 10 or 11 PM. And that's it. Who says India doesn't have crimes?


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## Danav_Singh (Sep 1, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> I too agree with you. I never wrote that India doesn't have rapes etc either in metros or in villages. All I have tried in the above post is to think of differences in the society for which a person walking in the public place in Indian metro cities (equivalent of Sydney) doesn't get killed for no reason at the time as early in night as 10 or 11 PM. And that's it. Who says India doesn't have crimes?


India's biggest problem is its media. Every media house just try to cook their own stories for TRP . A rape is not seen as a rape only. Media will add 4 different angles to it. Latest fashion is tag a rape case as "Secular" or "Communal" rape. They can make news out of nothing...Rape is a problem in India like many many other countries but not the only problem as projected by Indian and western media.


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## shorefisher (Nov 11, 2014)

Did they find the killer yet? Am surprised how is he hiding for so many days? The deceased family will feel a little better if they find the killer soon!


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## FIFA_World_Cup_fan (Apr 25, 2014)

*Me Too*



shorefisher said:


> Did they find the killer yet? Am surprised how is he hiding for so many days? The deceased family will feel a little better if they find the killer soon!


I am also surprised .....

the really tough part for the local police officers investigating this - was that --- beyond the Parramatta train station --- there were no CCTV cameras - in the pathway which Prabha Arun Kumar (deceased) - had taken on the ill-fated night. And that walking stretch extended right into the area of Westmead --- and that too in the night timing; hence there were no eye-witnesses / prospective watchers.


However --- its not gonna be indefinite - I have strong faith in the NSW police force -
They are really solid guys .... They shall eventually catch that man.


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## JBY (May 17, 2011)

Form1229 said:


> This is really sad. I cannot imagine the horrific experience the husband had to go through (he was on a phone call with her when she was attacked). May God give all the strength to the family.
> 
> @blackrider89 - Was there any racial motive behind the attack? Or was it just a matter of being at a wrong place at the wrong time?
> Edit: How did the investigation into this event go? Were the culprits found and convicted?
> ...


No offense but this is a ridiculous statement, you think Australia is some kind of warzone ? "We need to stay in touch on the forum and move in groups", seriously? 

People need to relax, these unfortunate things happen everyday to non-indians. Its a big country with 25 Million people there are bound to be crime. Australian cities still some of the safest in the world, and definitely safer than Indian cities where thousands of women are violently assaulted on daily basis.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

JBY said:


> No offense but this is a ridiculous statement, you think Australia is some kind of warzone ? "We need to stay in touch on the forum and move in groups", seriously?
> 
> People need to relax, these unfortunate things happen everyday to non-indians. Its a big country with 25 Million people there are bound to be crime. Australian cities still some of the safest in the world, and definitely safer than Indian cities where thousands of women are violently assaulted on daily basis.


Exactly right!! As far as I know, whether it was racially motivated hasn't been established, nor has the nationality of the perpetrator/s Unfortunately atrocities happen across the globe, for so many silly reasons 

Jo xxx

Sent from my D5803 using Expat Forum


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## shorefisher (Nov 11, 2014)

What I also feel is, it could be also a case of miss identity. the killer was not there for Prabha, instead he did this crime without realizing that she had a family back home. But if he is serial offender, everyday he is surviving is harmful to the society...


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

shorefisher said:


> What I also feel is, it could be also a case of miss identity. the killer was not there for Prabha, instead he did this crime without realizing that she had a family back home. But if he is serial offender, everyday he is surviving is harmful to the society...


Absolutely. Survival of the crazy person in the society who killed someone for apparently no major reason is a far more dangerous and serious issue than any other. Let's hope that police gets serious about such crime-prone locations at least now. If not policemen, at least the place of crime should have had cameras and lights if it has been long considered as a crime-prone area where the homeless, junkies and drug addicts hang out. Why to expect precautions only from the civilians/residents and not from the police? While I agree that the victim should have been more careful, shouldn't the police have been far more careful as well as its their business after all? Let's Hope for the best though.


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## FIFA_World_Cup_fan (Apr 25, 2014)

*agree*



shorefisher said:


> What I also feel is, it could be also a case of miss identity. the killer was not there for Prabha, instead he did this crime without realizing that she had a family back home. But if he is serial offender, everyday he is surviving is harmful to the society...



Hi

Yeah - its quite possible that this killer man - is a serial offender ..... I guess - its only due to the Indian Media contingent - that this episode got lot more attention and coverage.


Either ways - its extremely important for this case to get to a closure; in particular I do feel that Prabha's family back home will feel so much better when they hear about the killer being caught & put behind the bars ........

Justice is crucial ......


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

FIFA_World_Cup_fan said:


> Hi
> 
> Yeah - its quite possible that this killer man - is a serial offender ..... I guess - its only due to the Indian Media contingent - that this episode got lot more attention and coverage.
> 
> ...


The incident was reported in Indian media. It was reported only reasonably, to an extent it deserved to be reported. 
No offence, but is there a perception that Indian media (always) over reports such unfortunate incidents?


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> Why to expect precautions only from the civilians/residents and not from the police? While I agree that the victim should have been more careful, shouldn't the police have been far more careful as well as its their business after all? Let's Hope for the best though.


I empathize with your feelings. It is true that many times police are aware of petty criminals being around, or shady characters roaming freely in the society- but they don't act proactively. I do not know why, but I suppose they focus on the big fish and turn their guns on the smaller ones only when they get into something really big.

My first hand experience from my stay in Aus- there was a drug dealer operating on the street I lived. He ran a business and had lots of people visiting him. Everybody knew his real business. The police knew it, but never bothered as he caused no 'direct harm' (and also because he didnt sell the 'hard drugs'). Ultimately, the residents in the area brought up the issue in the meeting (i dont know what it is called, but the local bodies, police and residents participate in it). People voiced concern that the children in the neighbourhood could take to drugs. It was after the public pressure that the police nabbed him.
I had a very different impression about law enforcement in developed countries before this incident.


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## kettlerope (Aug 12, 2014)

kettlerope said:


> Absolutely. Survival of the crazy person in the society who killed someone for apparently no major reason is a far more dangerous and serious issue than any other. Let's hope that police gets serious about such crime-prone locations at least now. If not policemen, at least the place of crime should have had cameras and lights if it has been long considered as a crime-prone area where the homeless, junkies and drug addicts hang out. Why to expect precautions only from the civilians/residents and not from the police? While I agree that the victim should have been more careful, shouldn't the police have been far more careful as well as its their business after all? Let's Hope for the best though.


I would expect views of more people who have been residing in Australia on this. It will helps us all understand the actual challenges.


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## JBY (May 17, 2011)

kettlerope said:


> I would expect views of more people who have been residing in Australia on this. It will helps us all understand the actual challenges.


Plenty of people living in Australia have posted here describing what really happened. But Indians living in India chose to be scared and listen to their own media instead.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

kettlerope said:


> I would expect views of more people who have been residing in Australia on this. It will helps us all understand the actual challenges.


The challenges are the same as in most large and cosmopolitan cities across the world. I dont think it matters to most, what the nationality of the victim was - or the gender. In fact, I would have expected women to have been more frightened than Indians by this dreadful crime. But everyone needs to stay vigilant. What matters is that someone was attacked and murdered and yes thats bad and unacceptable

Jo xxx


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## rameshkd (Aug 26, 2011)

I've lived in Melb in the past and was never scared to go for a walk even at 11pm (I used to live in the city though). 
It doesn't matter who was attacked by whom, on a bad day it could be anyone. A lot of foreigners are sexually assaulted in India, does that make India a racist country ? No, never. 
Millions of people of have migrated to Aus over the years, why do we only chose to listen to the misshapenings and not the success stories. 
It's the mindset that that make a place good or bad.


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## FIFA_World_Cup_fan (Apr 25, 2014)

evangelist said:


> I empathize with your feelings. It is true that many times police are aware of petty criminals being around, or shady characters roaming freely in the society- but they don't act proactively. I do not know why, but I suppose they focus on the big fish and turn their guns on the smaller ones only when they get into something really big.
> 
> My first hand experience from my stay in Aus- there was a drug dealer operating on the street I lived. He ran a business and had lots of people visiting him. Everybody knew his real business. The police knew it, but never bothered as he caused no 'direct harm' (and also because he didnt sell the 'hard drugs'). Ultimately, the residents in the area brought up the issue in the meeting (i dont know what it is called, but the local bodies, police and residents participate in it). People voiced concern that the children in the neighbourhood could take to drugs. It was after the public pressure that the police nabbed him.
> I had a very different impression about law enforcement in developed countries before this incident.



Hoping that the police trace that killer soon and are able to put him behind the bars.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

Is there any update on the murder investigation ? Kindly post if you come across anything.


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## shorefisher (Nov 11, 2014)

Nothing at all I guess, looks like the killer might have moved out of country..But he cant escape from God!


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

They seem to have got no clue to the killer. No suspects arrested so far....


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

has anybody heard any update on this, since the incident happened?


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## kawal_547 (Nov 17, 2015)

Let me talk & share a real life experience.

I have stayed in Sydney from 2003-2005,for a period of a little more than 2 years.

These kindly of incidents came to more highlight a few years ago, when our Indian Media shared few so called "racist"attacks happening in Aus & then every other NEWS channel in India started reporting almost every other day about some or the other kind of attack happening in Aus on Indians, whether a beating or seriously injured or killed. The period of such incident being report on Indian NEWS channel was around 6-7 years ago(something like that).

I stayed in Sydney literally 13 years back.

& let me tell you, these kind of attacks used to happen then also, almost everyday, literally every day, & attacks were mostly common to people from South Asia, from India / Srilanka / Bangladesh / Pakistan.

Also let me end one topic here - 99.9999% of these attacks were NOT racists.

People from our region were attacked majorly by scumbags, druggists.

Reason of attack - Just to get anything worth selling(like mobile phone / laptops / gold / money) to buy drugs.

Now - where these attacks happened?

These attacks used to happen in & around areas which were "officially" not safe areas during late night.

Few questions - 

1) Who is asking any of us to stay in those areas?

2) Who is asking us to roam around in those secluded areas alone?

Few common answers to above questions - 

Students(especially) & I do not blame them, find a place which is cheap for living & areas in Sydney(since I lived in sydney) like Newtown(very near to Redfern) Central Sydney(again very close to Redfern), Few Western Suburbs were(or are still) cheap places to live then, & often crowded by South Asians.

Above point is fine, but then we Indians also have a problem, which is showing OFF.

We will be often carrying high end mobile phones / laptops, wearing gold ornaments(like gold chains / rings / ear rings) & with these kind of things with us or on us, we also tend to venture out in our near by not so secured suburbs at mid night or late at night.

A clear invite to any scumbag or druggie to get beaten up & robbed.

I'm sure even if we go to moon, & behave like this, this would happen there also, so Aus is not special or racist.

It happens in India on a very large scale, esp with foreigners.

So guys, who so ever is moving, kindly be safe, travel safe, find a place which is safe for yourself & your near & dear ones, even if it costs a few dollars more(not much of a difference when compared to safety).

Stay blessed.


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## Mithung (Feb 5, 2016)

Offtopic.

@Kawal,
Just read your time line. Why didn't you claim points for IELTS? 7 should have got you 10 points. Correct?


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## kawal_547 (Nov 17, 2015)

Mithung said:


> Offtopic.
> 
> @Kawal,
> Just read your time line. Why didn't you claim points for IELTS? 7 should have got you 10 points. Correct?


Nope.

Its over all 7, with one section(reading) scoring 6.

I wish it was the case, as you thought.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

kawal_547 said:


> Let me talk & share a real life experience.
> 
> A clear invite to any scumbag or druggie to get beaten up & robbed.
> 
> ...


you are going back to the "not racist, but being at the wrong place, at the wrong time" rhetoric which has been discussed all through this thread. 

I was dropping in to check if police/detectives have been able to find any clues to this mysterious murder which had no obvious 'motive for murder'.


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

An update:
Prabha Arun Kumar stabbing: Family and friends unveil plaque at park where woman was murdered - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


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## evangelist (Oct 5, 2014)

And this one from today...

New Lead In Indian Woman Techie's Murder In Australia

New Lead In Indian Woman Techie's Murder In Australia


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