Support The Moscow Times!

Kids Suffer 'Nervous Breakdown' After Getting Caught Stealing Candy

Three children were locked into a room in a Yuzhnoye Butovo grocery store Friday after stealing marmalad, a type of gummy candy similar to that pictured above. Wesha

Three children around 11 years old were hospitalized Friday after suffering a "nervous breakdown" apparently caused by being locked in a room by grocery store security guards.

The children were put into a room by security guards at a supermarket in Yuzhnoye Butovo in south Moscow after they were caught trying to steal one or more marmelad, a kind of gummy candy, Interfax reported, citing an unidentified employee in the Moscow healthcare sector.

One of the children panicked and called his mother, telling her that they had been detained. The mother called the police and said the supermarket was holding children illegally.

The police arrived at the store along with an ambulance, which the mother had called as well.

The ambulance personnel learned that the security guards had locked the children in a room and apparently called the parents of one of the children to have a "preventive discussion." The security guards did not call the police.

The health workers diagnosed the children with a severe nervous breakdown and took them to the hospital, where they were in "moderately severe" condition at 2 p.m., the news agency said.

The police are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the theft of the marmelad and into the actions of the supermarket employees, a Southwest Administrative District police spokesman told Interfax.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more