Police in Peru say a small-town mayor attempted to dodge capture for flouting lockdown orders by hiding in a coffin and pretending to be a corpse.
Jaime Rolando Urbina Torres, the mayor of Tantará, a rural district in Castrovirreyna, was out drinking with friends Monday night when police came to enforce a curfew, the Evening Standard reported.
By the time authorities arrived, though, Torres was lying in an open casket pretending to be a coronavirus fatality, with his eyes tightly closed and a mask over face, according to the Times of London. His friends hid in drawers in the same room.
Officers were able to rouse Torres and take the group to the station for questioning, though it's unknown if charges were filed. Police later released a photograph of Torres in the coffin.
Local media has criticized the mayor for not taking the pandemic seriously. He's spent just eight days in Tantará since the start of the lockdown and has not enforced public safety measures, according to El Comercio.
On May 9, residents called an emergency meeting to urge Torres to establish safety checks and building a quarantine shelter for confirmed cases. He has yet to do either, the Standard reported.
Jaime Rolando Urbina Torres, the mayor of Tantará, a rural district in Castrovirreyna, was out drinking with friends Monday night when police came to enforce a curfew, the Evening Standard reported.
By the time authorities arrived, though, Torres was lying in an open casket pretending to be a coronavirus fatality, with his eyes tightly closed and a mask over face, according to the Times of London. His friends hid in drawers in the same room.
Officers were able to rouse Torres and take the group to the station for questioning, though it's unknown if charges were filed. Police later released a photograph of Torres in the coffin.
Local media has criticized the mayor for not taking the pandemic seriously. He's spent just eight days in Tantará since the start of the lockdown and has not enforced public safety measures, according to El Comercio.
On May 9, residents called an emergency meeting to urge Torres to establish safety checks and building a quarantine shelter for confirmed cases. He has yet to do either, the Standard reported.
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