“Don't do this… What do I tell my family?... It's going to be very embarrassing.

US Embassy Issues Visa Warning After Indian Woman Caught Stealing in Illinois

US Embassy Issues Visa Warning For Indians Latest News: The U.S. Embassy in India has issued a visa advisory warning that committing crimes such as assault, theft, or burglary in the United States could result in visa revocation and ineligibility for future U.S. visas.

“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 United States values law and order and expects foreign visitors to follow all U.S. laws,” the Embassy wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Incident That Prompted the Advisory

According to an NDTV report, the warning comes after an Indian woman was caught shoplifting items worth approximately Rs 1.1 lakh (around $1,300) from a Target store in Illinois.

The incident reportedly occurred on May 1, 2025. According to store staff and police statements, the woman spent over seven hours inside the store, collecting merchandise without paying. She was ultimately detained after trying to exit the store with the items concealed in reusable bags.

A video of the incident was shared by the Body Cam Edition YouTube channel. The footage shows interactions between the store staff, the suspect, and police officers.

“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,” reads the caption of the video.

Store Staff Account
In the video, a staff member says, “We saw this woman roaming around the store for the last 7 hours. She was picking up items, checking her phone, moving between aisles, and eventually tried to walk out the west gate without paying.”

Staffer added, “She said she doesn’t have an ID and is visiting the U.S. from India. She claimed she was waiting for someone from her family to pick her up. She’s taken a ton of merchandise — we’re calculating the total right now.”

The store owner (or manager) further explained, “She put everything into three large reusable bags. She would get close to the door, stop, look at her phone, and go back inside to shop more. Eventually, she passed the first set of doors and entered the vestibule — that’s when we stopped her. She claimed she was still planning to pay, but she had already left the store area.”

Police Response
When police officers  asked the store personnel what action they wanted to take.

“We are going to prosecute and issue a trespass notice,” the store manager responded.

The woman pleaded with the officers,“Let me just pay for it.”

However, a female officer replied, “No, that’s not happening. You committed a felony. It would’ve been different if you hadn’t left. But since you passed the doors, you chose not to pay. We can’t go back now.”

She then Questioned the woman, “Are you allowed to steal things in India?”

As the woman was handcuffed, she said, “Don’t do this… What do I tell my family?... It’s going to be very embarrassing. Please.”

The voice-over in the video notes that the woman faces a felony retail theft charge because the value of the stolen items exceeds Illinois’s $300 threshold for felony prosecution.

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