Fact-Checking Viral Video: Internet Thinks Mexican Woman Caught Shoplifting In US Is Indian

News18

3 days ago

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A simple fact check shows that the viral video is of a Mexican woman apprehended for alleged shoplifting by concealing garments under her dress and posing as a pregnant woman
After an Indian woman was caught trying to leave a Target store in the US without paying for the items in her shopping cart, a video of a woman in handcuffs allegedly shoplifting has gone viral. But, the two cases are not the same.
A simple fact check shows that the viral video, in fact, shows a Mexican woman apprehended for alleged shoplifting by concealing garments under her dress and posing as a pregnant woman.
As for the Indian woman, her video footage is available on YouTube and extracted from a police bodycam, in which a Target employee is accusing her of spending seven hours in the store and then trying to leave without paying for the items in her cart.
The Mexican woman in the viral video, circulating online, has been falsely identified as an Indian tourist Anaya Avalani. Many have shared the video saying Indian tourists are damaging the country's reputation abroad by indulging in such acts.
One of the users, who shared the video on X, said in Hindi (translated by Grok on X): '…Let the whole world witness the disgrace… This Anaya Avalani went to America. She entered a store, shopped for 7 hours, stole goods worth 1300 dollars. Her actions were caught on CCTV, now with handcuffs on her wrists, the investigation is ongoing with rounds of questioning" (sic)
भारत का डंका बच रहा करवाओ पूरी दुनिया में बेइज्जती करवाओ..ये अनाया अवलानी है जो अमरीका गईं थीं। एक स्टोर में घुसीं, 7 घंटे शॉपिंग किया, 1300 डॉलर का सामान चुरायाCCTV में इनकी हरकतें कैद हुई, अब हाथों में हथकड़ी, सवाल जवाब के दौर के साथ इन्वेस्टिगेशन चल रही है pic.twitter.com/90BbvR23XC — A K Bhohariya (@k54176) July 15, 2025
News18 confirmed that the video is of a Mexican woman, who was caught red-handed by the authorities. Many internet users in the comments below also said the video is not of the Indian tourist, but a Mexican woman.
The Indian tourist's video, as per an NDTV report, was originally posted by a Mexican news platform called Record on May 1 with the headline: 'Woman fakes pregnancy to steal pants and T-shirts from Coppel". A Youtube channel called 'EIUniversalMex' had also shared the video on May 5 with the description: 'A woman pretended to be pregnant to shoplift clothes, but was caught red-handed. The incident quickly became a trend on social media".
Both the videos have surfaced on the internet within a span of three months. But the original video of the Indian tourist shows her spending seven hours at a Target store and, as per the footage, she even gave a false name – Anaya – claiming that she did not have any ID on her at the time. She was, however, later identified as Jamisha Avalani, who was visiting the US to meet family members.
'We saw this woman roaming around the store for the last 7 hours. She was picking up items, checking her phone, moving between aisles, and eventually tried to walk out the west gate without paying," a staffer is quoted from the video clip on YouTube.
First Published:
July 17, 2025, 23:46 IST
News world Fact-Checking Viral Video: Internet Thinks Mexican Woman Caught Shoplifting In US Is Indian
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