What’s more American than a Target run? For Jimisha Avlani, a tourist from India, this quintessential American ritual stretched into a seven-hour ordeal and ended in handcuffs. In a video that has already racked up over 750,000 views, Avlani’s alleged attempt to shoplift nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise has gone viral across Indian expat circles, igniting shock, spawning memes, and prompting a wave of uncomfortable conversations.
The footage, released by independent YouTube channel @BodyCamEdition, which is known for uploading exclusive police bodycam videos, shows Avlani surrounded by Target employees and police officers. Her unusually long stay in the store raised suspicions among staff. When she finally attempted to walk off with the unpaid merchandise, employees quickly intervened and called the police. The video shows Avlani repeatedly pleading to “just pay” for the items she had allegedly tried to leave with.
“Why can’t I just pay for it?” Avlani asks police officers.
“We’re way way, way past that. You committed a felony,” one of the officers responds.
“But if I’m paying for it, what is the harm?,” says Avlani, to which the officer replies. “It would have been fine if you didn’t leave, right? You would have had that opportunity to pay. But because you left the store at that point, you chose to not pay for it, and we can’t go back.
Clips of the incident are being widely circulated, triggering reactions that range from sympathy to outright embarrassment. While some argue that Avlani may have misunderstood the system, others point to a more troubling trend: the mix of ignorance and entitlement that, they fear, risks casting the broader Indian American community in a negative light.
Although crimes and misdemeanors are everyday occurrences in the United States, what may have propelled this case into the spotlight is its immigration dimension. For tourists or immigrants — whether visiting, living, or working in the U.S. — even a minor brush with the law can escalate quickly, potentially leading to visa complications, deportation proceedings, or long-term immigration consequences.
So, what legal consequences might a visitor or work visa holder face if caught shoplifting in the U.S., and how could such an incident impact their immigration status or ability to return in the future? “If you shoplift, the charges you could face depend on the value of the merchandise stolen,” says Alen Takhsh, principal attorney at Evanston, Illinois-based Takhsh Law P.C. “For example, in some jurisdictions, if the value is less than $150.00, you could be charged with a misdemeanor offense, while the value being greater than $150.00 could lead to a felony charge.”
He adds, “Regardless, this is a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude, namely one that involves dishonesty and could have serious consequences. If you are in the U.S. on a student visa, an arrest for shoplifting, let alone a conviction, could result in your visa being revoked. If you are in the U.S. on a visitor or work visa, it could lead to you not being allowed to re-enter the US in the future and, in some situations, to being precluded from obtaining legal permanent residence.”
For many Indian Americans, the incident is yet another episode that reinforces unfair stereotypes, something they’re increasingly weary of confronting. Vihan Patel, a retail analyst, first came across the video when it popped up in a WhatsApp group of expat friends. “In America, shoplifting cases, big and small, happen daily. But this video just exploded,” he says. “With thousands sharing and re-sharing it, this woman has become infamous overnight. It’ll be a long time before she can shake off this nightmare.”
Another user, Poonam Singh, commented in a social media group called “Indians Living in America”: “What this lady did was wrong. No prizes for guessing, but by making her worst moments viral, we are engaging in public shaming.”
Others expressed anger that incidents like this fuel negative stereotypes about Indians abroad. Neha Singh, a software engineer, remarked, “Imagine spending lakhs to board a plane only to indulge in petty store theft in America. The woman is clearly privileged as she’s casually offering to pay the amount as if it’s in her wallet as loose change. Why steal then and let an entire community living here and working hard be villainized?”
As the video continues, Avlani’s repeated offers to pay for the items do little to sway law enforcement. What becomes clear is that she may not have realized that in the U.S., attempting to pay after being caught doesn’t negate the crime. Takhsh explains, “Once the act constituting the crime has been committed, the alleged criminal actor has zero standing to mitigate the charges by offering to pay for said merchandise. At that point, the die is cast!”
While it may be purely incidental that the accused woman is Indian, some observers point out that people of color in the United States are often more likely to be caught — or more prominently spotlighted — for the same offenses as their white counterparts. A small-town store owner in rural America, speaking on condition of anonymity, offers a broader perspective: “People steal from my store all the time. They’re not necessarily Indians; everything from pizzas to random stuff goes missing. We’ve caught people before and filed complaints, but their race never became the headline. Good or bad, people from every community do these things.”
It’s understandable, then, that some within the Indian community may feel uneasy about the spotlight on the woman’s nationality. There have been instances in the recent past where others in the community have quietly experienced the ripple effects of such incidents, facing subtle biases, awkward conversations, or harsher scrutiny simply by association.
In March of this year, 56-year-old Mahendra Patel was arrested in Georgia for allegedly attempting to abduct a 2-year-old boy from his mother at a Walmart. Patel’s attorney disputed the charge, claiming surveillance footage showed him simply trying to prevent the child from falling while asking the mother about Tylenol. After spending six weeks in jail, Patel was granted a $10,000 bond, with the judge citing his community ties and supporting video evidence. The case sparked significant public debate, garnering more than 70,000 signatures on a petition calling for his release, and prompting local Democrats to urge prosecutors to drop the charges.
Reflecting on the Target incident, attorney Takhsh notes, “I do not sense that racism was at play here. She made a grave mistake, unfortunately!”