In a concerning incident that shocked the Telugu community, two Telugu students studying MS in New Jersey were arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store in Hoboken. The students were from Hyderabad and Guntur respectively.

According to police reports, the incident occurred on March 19, 2024, at around 5:15 p.m. Officers Chelsea Tamborra and Rose Kanan responded to a call from ShopRite- a grocery store where security had detained two women suspected of shoplifting.

Upon arrival, the officers learned that the store's security had observed Sindhu and Harishtha paying for only two items worth $8.74 while attempting to leave with 27 items totaling $155.61.

The police have released a 24-minute interrogation video, which shows the two Telugu students trying to convince the officers that they did not steal. However, the female officer appeared determined to arrest them, possibly due to a previous incident involving the same students at the same store. Despite the gravity of the situation, the students remained calm and composed during the interrogation, attempting to convince the officers without breaking down into tears.

Bodycam footage released by the Hoboken Police shows them arresting two female international students from India for alleged shoplifting at a ShopRite. Both are graduate students at Stevens Institute of Technology (@FollowStevens) and are repeat shoplifters.

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The incident has raised concerns about the potential impact on the student's prospects. The arrest record could haunt them throughout their lives, causing difficulties with license renewals, visa issues, and security checks for certain jobs.