A viral video of a US woman allegedly caught stealing goods worth Rs 80 lakh from a store managed by an Indian man has triggered widespread debate on social media, especially in light of recent incidents involving Indian women accused of shoplifting in the United States. The video, which has garnered nearly nine lakh views, shows the woman pleading with the manager not to send her to jail.
'You stole from me over and over': Indian manager
In the video, the Indian store manager confronts the woman, stating that he had entrusted her with the store keys and accusing her of repeated theft over three years. “I gave you my store keys. You stole from me over and over,” he says, adding that he has compiled evidence to present to corporate authorities. Initially denying the accusations, the woman begins to plead for leniency once told about the evidence. “Please don’t send me to jail. I have a five... seven-year-old daughter. I have nobody else,” she says. “We can resolve this without taking me to jail... I don’t feel like I have been stealing.”
Moneycontrol could not verify the undated video.
Social media users call out 'double standards'
The video has sparked commentary on X, with users pointing out racial bias in how such incidents are covered. “This as usual never comes out when whites do it. Starting from the stolen native lands to the loots they made,” one user wrote. Another added, “If it was an Indian woman, there would be dozens of tweets with 100k likes calling all Indians scammers.”
Recent cases of Indian women shoplifting in US stores
The incident follows a series of viral videos showing Indian women being detained for shoplifting in US retail chains. In September, police bodycam footage showed an Indian woman crying and hyperventilating as police questioned her inside a Target store for shoplifting. She declined an interpreter, saying her native language was Gujarati. In July, another Indian woman was arrested at a Target store in Illinois for allegedly stealing items worth over Rs 1 lakh.
Another video of an Indian woman crying and pleading with US police officers after allegedly being caught shoplifting at a Target store in the US went viral last week, sparking widespread outrage. Target store in the US.
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