Indian woman caught shoplifting items worth ₹1 lakh at US target store
Interrogation video goes viral
Washington, D.C. : An Indian woman was caught red-handed while allegedly shoplifting items worth over ₹1 lakh at a Target store in the United States. According to reports, the woman admitted to having stolen the goods and was later let off with a statutory warning by the police.
A 10-minute video of her police interrogation, released by a YouTube channel named @PoliceRelease, has since gone viral. In the footage, the woman appears visibly nervous, gasping for breath, and breaking down multiple times during questioning. She identified herself as an Indian and stated that her primary language is Gujarati.
During the interrogation, officers reportedly asked if she needed medical assistance as she appeared to be hyperventilating for more than an hour. The woman also confessed that she intended to resell the stolen items. Reports further suggest that she was a regular shoplifter at the same store but had never been caught until this incident, which occurred in January this year.
While the video continues to circulate widely on social media, the authenticity of the footage has not been independently verified.
The case has sparked mixed reactions online. One user commented, “Shoplifting is actually not a very big issue there; 25% of Americans have done it at least once in their life. Police usually take action only if the products are worth $800–900. She might have crossed that threshold.”
Another user remarked, “Not sure why criminals are being connected with a country’s identity. Nobody tarnishes the image of Indians more than Indians themselves. Shoplifting is not even that big a crime for which this poor lady is being shared around.”
An Indian girl (Gujarati) was caught shoplifting in the US. She's arrested. This was viral on TikTok. pic.twitter.com/huJK9gAeZQ
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
