New Delhi: A day after a video of an Indian woman allegedly stealing items worth $1,300 from a Target store in Illinois, United States, surfaced online, the US Embassy in India issued a stern warning. The Embassy in an X post said that all those people who will commit assault or theft would not face legal issues, but their visa would also be revoked.
“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 U.S. visas,” the US Embassy in India said.
It further added that the US expects foreigners to follow the law and order in the US. “The United States values law and order and expects foreign visitors to follow all U.S. laws,” the Embassy said in the X post.
On July 15, a bodycam footage surfaced in which the woman could be seen being confronted by the police. According to the timestamp of the viral footage, the incident took place on May 1 this year.
The video was first shared by a YouTube channel - Body Cam Edition."On May 1, 2025, police were called to Target after a woman spent hours inside the store stealing items, ultimately attempting to walk out with thousands of dollars in unpaid merchandise. This is footage of the events that followed," the caption of the video shared by the channel read.
Reports suggest the accused, Ananta Avlani, who was visiting McHenry County in Illinois, was caught attempting to steal goods worth $1,300 from a Target store. Store staff grew suspicious after she spent over seven hours shopping. They alerted the police, and a female officer, accompanied by two male colleagues, promptly arrived at the scene. The ensuing interrogation lasted more than four hours.
In the video, the woman is heard pleading with officers, insisting she had money to pay for the items. However, the police demanded she provide identification.
In the video, a woman police officer could be heard saying, “Are you allowed to steal things in India? I did not think so.”
The woman is reportedly facing felony charges. However, she was not arrested.
