An Indian woman was allegedly caught shoplifting at a souvenir shop during a group tour of Japan. She later offered money both to the shopkeeper and to police officers after being detained, according to investment advisor Muthukrishnan Dhandapani.
Dhandapani shared the incident in a post on X on May 30, describing how the woman was caught stealing and how Japanese authorities responded.
The investment advisor said he was on a group tour of Japan where the woman, unbeknownst to others, was quietly stealing things. “In our group, from the beginning one lady has been shoplifting. We were not aware of it,” he said.
Woman caught stealing in Japan
The situation came to light when the woman was allegedly caught at a tourist souvenir shop.
“In one of the tourist souvenir shops, she was caught. She immediately offered to pay money,” Dhandapani said.
Dhandapani claimed that the shopkeeper rejected the woman’s offer and expressed disappointment over her actions. In fact, the Japanese shopkeeper said the attempt to settle the matter with money after being caught was particularly offensive.
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“The Japanese shop keeper said that they are a high trust society where stealing is rare and have great respect for India,” Dhandapani wrote. “He said more than stealing, what offended him was offering money after being caught.”
‘Police not amused’
The investment advisor said the shopkeeper contacted the police and the group’s tour manager accompanied the woman to the police station. He added that this in itself was a rare event, because it is unusual to see cops in a high-trust society like Japan.
“In Japan, you can never see police. Crime rate is very less. Traffic discipline is very high. The shopkeeper called the police. Our tour manager accompanied that lady to police station,” Dhandapani wrote.
He further alleged that the woman again attempted to offer money while at the police station.
“In police station too that lady offered money. The Japanese police was not amused.”
Let off with warning, claims post
According to Dhandapani, police officers explained the seriousness of shoplifting under Japanese law and warned the woman about the potential consequences.
“They explained how severe the punishment is for stealing and said she needs to go to jail,” he wrote.
However, he claimed that authorities ultimately decided not to pursue further action due to their respect for India. “But she being an Indian and they respect India a lot, she was let go with severe warning,” the X user concluded.
(Also read: What started as a kimono day out ended with police for Indian tourists in Japan)
Internet reacts
The incident sparked outrage on social media, coming at a time when the behaviour of Indian tourists abroad is currently under scrutiny.
“People like her are severely damaging brand India. When you are outside the India, you are reflection of India, be accountable and mindful to your act,” X user Rajan Singh said.
“Pathetic state of Indian behaviour. We are famous for taking items like towels, soaps,and shampoo bottles from luxurious hotels during checkout,” another user said.
“In a country where it is perfectly normal to steal flowers from your neighbour because you are offering it to the temple, where will you begin lessons on ethics & morality?” a person questioned.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
