Committing assault, theft in US could lead to visa being revoked: American embassy

New Delhi: Committing assault, theft or burglary in the United States won't just cause legal issues but could also lead to a visa being revoked and make that person "ineligible" for future US visas, the country's embassy in India has said.

The stern warning comes in the backdrop of a viral video purportedly showing an Indian woman being held by police authorities after she allegedly tried to shoplift several items at a high-end store in the US.

However, the veracity of the video, widely shared on various social media platforms, could not be independently verified.

In a brief statement on Wednesday, the embassy also said America values law and order and expects foreign visitors to follow all US laws.

The statement was shared on the X handle of the embassy.

"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 U.S. visas. The United States values law and order and expects foreign visitors to follow all US laws," the embassy said.

On June 19, the embassy in a post had said that a US visa is "a privilege, not a right", its screening does not stop after a visa has been issued and authorities might revoke it if one breaks the law.

When asked about the viral video during his weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "When a person is living in a country -- whether they are a citizen of that country or not -- it is their responsibility to abide by the laws there".

"Hence, 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 our country," he added.