Instagram Prankster Arrested And Faces 5 Years In Jail For Coronavirus Prank

Russian Instagram prankster Karomatullo Dzhaborov facing up to five years in prison for causing panic on the Moscow subway.

Getty Image / Maxim Grigoryev / Contributor


We recently brought you the story about teens doing a coronavirus prank in the New York City subway. Now, there is news that another Instagram prankster attempted a coronavirus prank in a Moscow subway. The individual who made that practical joke was arrested and now faces up to five years in jail.

People are becoming more and more terrified of the coronavirus, especially since the infectious disease has killed at least 1,113, and there are 44,653 confirmed cases just in mainland China. It doesn’t help calm the nerves of people when leading health experts come out and say that coronavirus has the potential to infect 60 percent of the world’s population. With the deadly disease on the minds of so many, public pranksters are using the coronavirus to carry out pranks that scare the hell out of people.

Karomat Dzhaborov, the man behind the prank Instagram and YouTube accounts “Kara.Prank” that have over 60,000 subscribers, did a coronavirus prank on subway cars in Moscow. Dzhaborov is seen wearing a medical face mask in the viral video that was uploaded on February 2, which have been taken down by YouTube and Instagram. He falls to the floor, in much of the same manner that those infected with the coronavirus have tumbled in China.

RELATED: Disturbing Videos From China Show People Forcibly Taken Into Quarantine Over Coronavirus, Haunting Footage Of Wuhan

Concerned passengers on the subway car rush to help Karomat, but as soon as they get near, he begins to convulse like he’s suffering from a seizure. The Good Samaritans are shocked, and quickly run away from the violently shaking body. As they run away, they scream: “Coronavirus! Coronavirus!”

Russian authorities have arrested Dzhaborov for his coronavirus prank videos. He was arrested on criminal charges of hooliganism, which has a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

Karomat, who is from Tajikistan, shared an Instagram post on Sunday that read: “They want to jail me.”

“One of the suspected hooligans was detained,” said Moscow police spokeswoman Irina Volk. Apparently, two of Dzhaborov’s friends were also involved with the prank, recording the reactions of people. They have also been located, and have been placed under travel restrictions. Russian authorities seized their computers and smartphones.

The court recommended that Dzhaborov be detained for 30 days to assess the situation and to determine his punishment.

The coronavirus has spread to at least 25 countries, including Russia, where they have two confirmed cases.

James Potok, who goes by the social media name of “Potok Philippe,” also did a coronavirus prank, but on a commercial airplane mid-flight. While traveling from Toronto, Canada, to Montego Bay, Jamaica, Potok told everyone on the plane that he has the coronavirus. He said that he had recently been in Hunan, China, where he contracted the deadly respiratory disease.

The plane was prohibited from landing in Jamaica or the United States, and had to return to Toronto. Potok has since issued an apology on YouTube. Much better than being arrested and facing up to five years in prison.

There are numerous coronavirus prank videos on YouTube with tens of thousands of views, many of them claim they are not coronavirus prank videos, but merely “educational” or are “social experiments.”

What are your thoughts on the coronavirus prank videos? Hilarious pranks or messed up videos that put people in danger?

RELATED: Coronavirus Update – China Says Virus Spreads From Pangolins

[RT]