Women Arrested And Charged With Terrorism For Coronavirus Prank, Store Throw Away Rs 0.26 Crore Products She Coughed On

On Wednesday day afternoon, a woman named Margaret Cirko walked in a grocery store in Hanover Township PA and played a “twisted coronavirus prank” by coughing, splitting on produce, food including bakery, meat and other goods. The grocery chain Gerrity's Supermarket - Joe Fasula went on Facebook and wrote about the incident.

Allegedly, Cirko threatened the staff, claiming she was carrying the coronavirus and started coughing on produce. She had even made an attempt to steal a 12-pack of beer before the staff forced her to leave. Quickly responding to the incident, Hanover Township Police located the woman just a few hours later and arrested her for the 'terrorism act'.

At the time, both officials and grocery store owners were not sure whether Cirko did contract the coronavirus or not. Despite the ambiguous possibilities of the coronavirus spread, they claimed to try their best to handle the situation.  

After removing the woman from the store immediately, Gerrity's Supermarket decided to throw away all of the products with a total worth of $35K that she had cough on. Employees also made sure that there was no virus threat for customers by disinfecting the store.

It’s likely that what the woman did was a twisted prank, however, for the sake of people heath, the store made the decision to dispose of all the goods in contact with her and actively incorporated with health inspector on this coronavirus possibility. Fasula also expressed his fury about the disposed of food that worths $35k (Rs 0.26 crore), saying "I am absolutely sick to my stomach about the loss of food."

On Thursday, Police made an official announcement about putting charges on Margaret Cirko with terrorism. According to the local authority, Cirko had to face two felony counts including terrorist threats, threats to use a "biological agent' and criminal mischief and misdemeanor counts of criminal attempt to commit retail theft and disorderly conduct. Cirko was sent to a mental health hospital to be evaluated after her arrest.

Luzerne County Prison is where the local police put her in control with the bail set at $50,000. A preliminary hearing has also been scheduled for April 8.

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