Visas may be revoked for committing a crime: US warns Indians

The US Embassy in New Delhi has warned Indian citizens that their US visas could be revoked if they commit serious crimes on US soil.

The advisory comes days after police bodycam footage of an Indian woman allegedly stealing nearly $1,300 worth of items from a Target store in Illinois went viral on the internet.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, spent several hours in the store in the town of Normal before packing up and leaving, when store employees stopped her and called the police.

The incident, which occurred on May 1, gained more attention when bodycam footage of police officers arriving at the scene was posted on YouTube.
In the video, a store employee can be heard telling police officers, “We’ve basically been watching this girl for four hours. She’s picked up a lot of different things. We’re doing a total count for you. It’s definitely over $500.”
The accused woman, who is sitting in a blue shirt, interrupts: “No, it will be more than that.” The store employee replies: “You are absolutely right.”

In the video, the woman is seen pleading with the police officers that she intended to pay and requesting that the matter be resolved without further action. “I don’t want to get into any trouble,” she says.
The police officer replies, “It’s too late for that, girl,” and asks the woman to produce her passport.
The woman says, “I am truly sorry. I am ready to pay the price.”

The woman was handcuffed and taken to the police station. In the video, a female police officer asks, “Is theft allowed in India? I think not.”

The police officer says in the footage that the woman could face serious charges, but she had not been formally arrested at the time of publication.