As the coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to shut down, Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms are being used to hold online classesfor students.
While there have been instances of hackers and intruders interrupting classes by gaining access to the virtual classroom and "zoombombing" participants, students in Ecuador had their virtual class disrupted by a burglary that took place at one of the students' house during the call.
The student, a young girl, was the victim of a break-in at her home in Ecuadorian city of Ambato in the middle of her Zoom class and the whole incident was captured on video. Four suspects were arrested after the girl's alert classmates spotted the perpetrators and notified the teacher before calling the police.
'Quickly Call the Police, Call the Parents'
The video footage that has gone viral on social media starts off with the girl showing her back to the camera, while the teacher speaks to the rest of the class. Moments later, a masked man can be seen forcing his way into the room, causing the student to leap out of her chair.
The intruder can then be seen signaling to the girl and another family member not to make noise before one of his accomplices enters the room. The girl's classmates then interrupted the teacher and drew his attention to the robbery in progress as the intruders realize they're being recorded and push down the screen of the laptop that houses the camera.
As soon as the students alert the teacher, he can be heard saying, "Quickly call the police, call the parents," before one of the students reports the crime to law enforcement.
Police responded to the call and immediately arrived at the location to arrest the four men. News of the arrest was announced by Ecuador's Interior Minister María Paula Romo on Twitter.
"The @PoliciaEcuador immediately captured those responsible for the theft of a home in Ambato," Romo wrote in a translated tweet. "The event was recorded on video, while a student received classes online."
