Indian woman arrested for allegedly shoplifting items worth ₹1 lakh from US store

An Indian-origin woman was detained by Illinois police for allegedly shoplifting $1,300 (₹1,11,617) merchandise from a Target store.

The viral bodycam footage from May shows a middle-aged Indian woman, Anaya Avlani, who claimed that she is living in the US by herself and set to visit her family in India, for which she had come to the store to purchase gifts for them.

According to a YouTube channel ‘Body Cam Edition’, the video that was published on July 14, 2025, claimed that 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. 

In the 18-minute-long video, the Indian woman asserted that she was on a call with family and hence walked outside the store with the cart, and also claimed that she was going to pay for it. Before she could explain, she was stopped at the security gate and taken to a back room where police officers arrested her.

As per the video, she was handcuffed and taken to the police station for paperwork. 

The Illinois police have been contacted in connection with the ongoing development of the story.