"The case of robbery and assault against people of Indian appearance has increased from 1,082 in 2006-07 to 1,447 in 2007-08 in Victoria," state police commander Trevor Carter said.
About 80 per cent of the victims could be Indians, he told a group of visiting Indian journalists.
"We do not keep information about the nationality of the victims. We say victims appear to be of Indian origin. But this figure is much less than the total number of cases," he said.
Victoria has registered about 36,000 criminal cases in 2007-08, Carter said but did not provide the exact number of Indian students attacked in the recent months in the state.
In past three months, over two dozen Indian students have been attacked in various parts of Australia, mainly in the Victorian capital Melbourne.
The attacks on foreign students have been mostly carried out by teenagers with the intent of robbery, he said.
"Most of the attackers are teenagers, between the age group of 15 and 25 years. They belong to various cultural community and financial background. Their main intent is to rob," Carter said.
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