Indian woman caught shoplifting at store in US

A video has gone viral showing an Indian woman being confronted by police after she was allegedly caught shoplifting at a Target store in the United States earlier this year.

The incident, which occurred on January 15, shows the woman visibly distressed—sobbing, gasping for breath, and hyperventilating—while officers attempt to question her. At the start of the interaction, one of the officers tells her, “Right now, you’re not free to leave.”

As she struggles to breathe, the officers urge her to calm down, with one advising, “Take a deep breath... I can’t talk to you if you’re breathing like that.”

When asked if she spoke English, the woman responded, “Not very good,” and identified Gujarati as her primary language. She confirmed she was from India but declined the need for a translator. Officers also asked if she had any medical conditions due to her breathing difficulties.

During the encounter, Target staff presented CCTV footage showing the woman bypassing the checkout with a cart full of unpaid merchandise. An officer remarked, “So she just put everything in the cart and then just walked past,” to which a staff member replied, “Just walked straight out.”

The woman, who reportedly holds a Washington-issued driver's license, was described by store employees as a regular customer. However, this was the first time she had been caught shoplifting. She admitted to officers that she intended to resell some of the items she had taken.

Police informed her that she would be required to appear in court in relation to the incident.

In a separate case in July, another Indian woman was investigated for allegedly attempting to steal merchandise worth approximately Rs 1.1 lakh (around $1,300) from a Target store in Illinois.

According to reports, she spent over seven hours inside the store before trying to leave with a cart full of unpaid items. Bodycam footage from that incident showed her apologising and offering to pay, saying, “I am not from this country. I am not going to stay here.”

A police officer responded, “Are you allowed to steal things in India? I didn’t think so.”