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Coronavirus pandemic

‘Coronavirus’ seizure stunt on Moscow subway falls flat as prankers ferreted out by police

The Moscow police had initiated criminal proceedings on charges of hooliganism

MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. The Moscow police are pursuing a criminal case following a video filmed on the Moscow subway that sparked an uproar, where an individual fakes being infected with coronavirus, Russian Interior Ministry Spokeswoman Irina Volk informed TASS on Monday.

"The Moscow police have unearthed evidence of improper and disorderly public behavior on the Moscow metro after monitoring Internet sources and mass media. On February 2, a young man collapsed on a train headed from the Polezhaevskaya metro station to the Ulitsa 1905 Goda subway station, faking a sudden seizure. His co-conspirators loudly proclaimed that he had come down with a dangerous viral infection, triggering panic among the passengers. Footage of the incident was then published on a video platform," Volk elaborated.

She noted that the Moscow police had initiated criminal proceedings on charges of hooliganism. One of the suspects has been detained. Police are currently searching for his accomplices.

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