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A viral bodycam footage showed the woman pleading with police officers to let her go and offering to pay for the stolen items. She faces a felony charge.
A woman was caught shoplifting from a Target store in Illinois. (YouTube)
An Indian woman was reportedly caught shoplifting merchandise worth $1,300 (Rs 1.08 lakh) at a Target store in Illinois, United States. A bodycam footage of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed the interaction between the woman and police officers.
The woman, identified as Anaya, mentions in the video that she was from India. She said she was not from the country and did not have a passport at the time when she was being interrogated. Police officers were heard telling her that she had committed a felony.
News18 could not independently verify the claims made in the video. The woman pleaded with the police officers, saying she had not done anything and was even willing to pay for the items she allegedly stole, but the police officers refused to budge.
According to the description of the video, police were called to Target on May 1 after the woman “spent hours inside the store stealing items, ultimately attempting to walk out with thousands of dollars in unpaid merchandise.”
The woman apologised to the police officers and offered to pay for the items. “I am really sorry to bother you if it is. I am not from this country. I am not going to stay here.”
The woman police officer interrogating the woman replied, “Are you allowed to steal things in India? I did not think so.” The alleged shoplifter then argued that she could not run with so many items and repeatedly offered to pay for them.
A Target employee told the officers that the woman spent seven hours inside the store before trying to walk out the door with a cart filled with items, but she was apprehended soon afterwards.
After reviewing the store bill totalling over $1,300 (Rs 1.08 lakh), the woman was seen being taken to the police station for processing, indicating that she has been charged with a felony. A woman police officer said she deliberately passed all the payout kiosks and took the cart full of items out of the store.
The woman’s actions were met with criticism online. “Being an immigrant, I can’t fathom the audacity of being a guest in this country and breaking its laws,” a user commented below the YouTube video.
“How is it even logistically possible for someone to spend 7 consecutive hours in one store? Do you just walk around in circles? I’m ready to be out by the 30 minute mark,” another person wrote. “Anyone who spends 7 hours in a store, and doesn’t work there, is up to no good,” another user commented.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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