NT Reporter
Panaji
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that 33,384 foreigners were registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Goa during 2024 and 2025, and 29 foreign nationals were found involved in illegal drug trade during the same period.
In a written reply tabled in the Assembly, Sawant said that if foreigners exceed their permitted period of stay, local police stations register cases of overstay against them under the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025.
“The district police also produce the overstaying foreigners before the FRRO for lodging in detention centres for initiating their deportation,” he said.
Regarding foreigners employed or self-employed without permission in the state, Sawant said that if any such foreign national is found, local police stations register cases under appropriate sections of the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025 and produce the person before the FRRO for lodging in a detention centre and initiating deportation proceedings.
Sawant informed that one such case was registered on January 6, 2026 by the Crime Branch police station against Federico Pinapin Moreno, a Philippine national. “The accused was employed in Snip Salon and Spa at Porvorim, Bardez, without any permission. The case is currently under investigation,” he said.
He said visas issued to foreign nationals restrict them to the specific activity mentioned in the visa and they are not permitted to engage in any other business or commercial activity.
In another written reply, Sawant said that 25 harassment cases involving foreign tourists were registered in the state over the last three years.
He added that police personnel have been deployed on the beaches of North Goa and South Goa and conduct regular patrolling to ensure the safety of tourists and locals.
“Necessary police patrolling is also maintained in areas that witness maximum tourist footfall,” Sawant said.
