A woman from an Indian tour group in Japan was allegedly caught shoplifting at a souvenir shop and later tried to offer money to both the shop owner and police officers as bribes after she was arrested, according to a viral post on X.The account was shared by Muthukrishnan Dhandapani, who said that the incident occurred during a group trip to Japan.According to Dandapani, the group members did not know that the woman was stealing items until she was caught in a tourist souvenir shop.“In our group, from the beginning, a lady shoplifted. We were not aware of it. In one of the tourist souvenir shops, she was caught,” he wrote on X.Dandapani claimed that the woman immediately offered to pay the money after she was arrested.
However, the store owner was more upset by the display than the alleged theft itself.“The Japanese shopkeeper said they were a highly trusting society where theft was rare and they had great respect for India. He said what offended him more than the theft was the offer of money after being caught,” Dandapani wrote.The store owner called the police, and the group’s tour director escorted the woman to the police station.According to the post, the woman offered money again while at the station.
“At the police station also, that woman offered money. The Japanese police were not comfortable,” Dandapani said.He claimed officers made it clear that shoplifting is taken seriously in Japan and warned that the woman could face prison time.“They explained how severe the punishment would be for the theft and said she needed to go to prison. But because she was an Indian and they respect India so much, she was released with a strong warning,” he wrote.
