Children's beds, toys and gas masks in an empty day care in the Ukrainian ghost city of Pripyat, near the Chernobyl nuclear station. A man detained in Moscow claims he collected contaminated items from the area because a friend convinced him exposure to radioactive materials would make him immortal. (File/UPI Photo/Sergey Starostenko) | License Photo

Moscow Police detained a 35-year-old college professor last week for storing radioactive materials. Police found over 30 pounds of radioactive materials hoarded in multiple locations, according to The Moscow News.

The professor had a friend who was convinced that exposure to fissionable materials would help him live forever. They had apparently visited the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident for this purpose.


The detainee explained that the pair collected contaminated items to continue the life-extending "treatment."

A criminal case has been brought against the professor for illegal handling of radioactive materials, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.