A man was deliberately coughed on after he was approached by a group of people in an Edinburgh city centre street.

Memon Ausama was walking down Princes Street at about 7pm on Wednesday when five men gathered around him.

The 32-year-old Edinburgh University student said the group made remarks about him before one deliberately coughed in his face.

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Memon Ausama was walking down Princes Street at about 7pm on Wednesday when a man deliberately coughed in his face

“One guy pointed pointed towards his friend and said ‘that’s my friend and he has coronavirus, are you ready to get it?’, Mr Ausama said.

“And then that guy deliberately coughed in my face.”

The masters student, originally from Pakistan, said while he feels the UK is a tolerant country, he felt targeted.

Police are investigating the incident which happened opposite River Island.

A police spokesman said: “We received a report around 8.15pm on Wednesday, 22 April, that a man in Princes Street, Edinburgh, had been deliberately coughed on.