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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday asked the Indian citizens living in foreign countries to abide by the laws of that country. The recent message came in the backdrop of a viral video purportedly showing an Indian woman being held by cops after she allegedly tried to shoplift items at a store in the United States.

ये महिला भारत से अमेरिका घूमने आई थी और स्टोर से हजारों डॉलर का सामान चुराते हुए पकड़ी गई। इस तरह के लोग देश और समाज की छवि खराब करते हैं।
pic.twitter.com/y1a0QYuSSN

— Santosh Yadav, Ph.D. (@sky_phd) July 15, 2025

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, commenting on the viral video, said during a weekly briefing that, "When a person is living in any country - whether they are a citizen of that country or a foreign national - it is their responsibility to abide by the laws there."

"Whenever our people go abroad, we always urge them to respect and follow the laws of that country, so that they can build a good and positive image for themselves, and through them, also project a good image of our country," Jaiswal further added.

In the video that is viral on social media now, one could hear that she spent over seven hours at the store, picking up items worth $1,300 (about Rs 1.1 lakh). She then allegedly tried to leave the store without paying. 

According to an NDTV report, the incident took place in May and became viral after a Target employee's confrontation with the woman went viral. In the video, the woman could be heard saying that she is ready to pay for the items.

"I am really sorry to bother you if it is. I am not from this country. I am not going to stay here," the woman could be heard saying. A woman police officer could be heard saying, "Are you allowed to steal things in India? I did not think so."

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in India this week issued a visa warning stating that committing assault, theft, or burglary in the United States could lead to a visa being revoked. 

"Committing assault, theft, or burglary in the United States won't just cause you legal issues - it could lead to your visa being revoked and make you ineligible for future US visas. The United States values law and order and expects foreign visitors to follow all US laws," it said.