Police in Miluo, Central China’s Hunan Province, said on Friday that a viral video showing two women being locked in a metal cage and paraded through the street was a staged vulgar stunt aimed at attracting online traffic, with the main organizer placed under criminal detention and eight others given administrative detention.

On Thursday, a netizen posted a video claiming that several men and women were seen dragging people through a street in Miluo. The footage showed two masked women and a black dog locked inside a stainless-steel cage. A paper sign was placed above the cage, bearing the words “adulterers.” Several men pushed the cage along the street, while a woman followed along beating a gong, drawing many bystanders who filmed the scene, according to chinanews.com.

Prompt investigation found that He, a 38-year-old man, had, since June 22, 2026, gathered Gong and eight others to repeatedly stage vulgar scenes in public places in Miluo in an attempt to attract online traffic and seek improper gains, the Miluo Public Security Bureau said in a police notice issued on its WeChat account on early Friday.

Their actions created online controversy, undermined public order and good social customs, and caused a negative social impact. Police have placed He, the organizer and planner, under criminal detention in accordance with the law, while Gong and the other eight people have been placed under administrative detention. The case is under further investigation, according to the police notice.