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After Indian woman caught shoplifting, US embassy's warning against theft: ‘It could lead to your…’
The US embassy's warning comes after a viral video of an Indian woman caught shoplifting surfaced on social media.
The US embassy in India has released a new advisory for US visa applicants. In a post on X, the embassy cautioned individuals against engaging in assault, theft, or burglary while in the United States.
"Committing assault, theft, or burglary in the United States won’t just cause you legal issues – it could lead to your visa being revoked and make you ineligible for future US visas," reads the advisory.
"The United States values law and order and expects foreign visitors to follow all US laws," the embassy added.
The US embassy's warning comes after a viral video of an Indian woman caught shoplifting surfaced on social media.
Indian woman caught shoplifting at Target
An Indian woman was caught shoplifting at Target during her vacation in the US. According to the viral video released by the independent YouTube channel @BodyCamEdition, the tourist was caught trying to shoplift items worth ₹1.1 lakh ($1000).
In the viral video, the woman is heard pleading with officers to let her go and let her pay for the products she allegedly stole.
“But if I’m paying for it, what is the harm?” she is heard asking n officer, only to be told - “It would have been fine if you didn’t leave, right? You would have had that opportunity to pay. But because you left the store at that point, you chose to not pay for it, and we can’t go back.”
The latest warning comes amid a series of restrictions imposed on US visa applications. Last month, a warning was issued by the embassy regarding illegal entry in the US after an Indian student was detained at an airport and deported.
Furthermore, the federal government has called for strict social media vetting for all US visa applicants. The US Embassy has cancelled visa interviews and will be replacing them with a scanning of the social media accounts of the applicants.
