On social media platform X, a video is going viral. A user posted the video with the claim (translated in English) “India’s reputation is resonating Let the whole world witness the disgrace…This Ananya Avlani went to America. She entered a store, shopped for 7 hours, and 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.”
Another user posted the same video with the claim “A Gujju in America”.
These users claim that the viral video is of an Indian woman being arrested in America for shoplifting.
Fact Check
DFRAC investigated the viral video and learned that the assertion is correct but the video that accompanies it is misleading. The video does not belong to Ananya Avlani, the Indian, who was held on shoplifting in America.
We examined the video under reference and noticed a nearby building where the name of that building was evidently displayed. It was spelled ‘citibanamax’. When we searched for that word on google we found out that it is the name of a bank in Mexico.
On YouTube, a Mexican news channel called ‘ EIUniversalMex ‘ shared the video on 5 May. The caption informs that the lady in the video shoplifted clothes in the shop and attempted to conceal it by creating a camouflage in the form of a pregnant belly using the stolen clothes.
The very same incident was reported by a Mexican news platform called Record on 1 May 2025 as well.
On searching the keywords of the claim on the internet, we found an article published by ‘connected to India’, which is titled “Indian tourist in US accused of shoplifting USD 1,300 worth of items from Target”.
Another article by “GujaratSamachar English’ also tells a similar story. The title says “Indian woman arrested for allegedly shoplifting items worth ₹1 lakh from US store”.
Conclusion
Hence, it is confirmed that the claim is true although the video attached to it is deceptive. The video belongs to Mexico, and the lady in the video is not Ananya Avlani as well. The video is not related to the event discussed in the claim.
