An Indian tourist’s shopping trip to a Target store in the United States took a dramatic turn when she was caught allegedly shoplifting items worth nearly $1,000 (approx. Rs 1.1 lakh), leading to her arrest on the spot. A police bodycam video of the incident has now gone viral.The moment of her arrest was captured and shared by the independent YouTube channel @BodyCamEdition, which uploads raw police footage.
In the video, Avlani is seen pleading with officers to let her pay for the items she allegedly tried to take. “Why can’t I just pay for it?” she asks, to which an officer replies, “We’re way, way, way past that. You committed a felony.”
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“But if I’m paying for it, what is the harm?” she says, 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.”Legal experts say that such an incident can carry serious consequences, especially for foreign nationals. “Regardless, this is a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude, namely one that involves dishonesty and could have serious consequences,” said Alen Takhsh, a US-based immigration attorney. “If you are in the US on a student visa, an arrest for shoplifting, let alone a conviction, could result in your visa being revoked. If you are in the US on a visitor or work visa, it could lead to you not being allowed to re-enter the US in the future.”The video has amassed over 835,000 views and triggered heated discussions online. Some sympathise with Avlani, suggesting cultural misunderstanding, while others express embarrassment over how such actions reflect on the Indian community abroad.
