Bolstering the protection against coronavirus, police in central India's Madhya Pradesh have come down hard on people flouting Covid-19 health guidelines.

Visuals emerging from Shivpuri district of the state showed police increasing its patrol and punishing those disregarding the rules.

Footage from January 5 shows cops stopping passengers to check on them. Those without masks were fined on spot. While many paid the penalty amount and were allowed to go with a warning and after they put on a mask, several people failed to pay the amount. They were then locked in a truck for some time, as punishment.

Police said that people have become reckless and are flouting rules, even as the Covid-19 scenario worsened in the state in the last few days. Cases have been increasing at a rapid rate, much to the worries of health workers, who have been working tirelessly to save people from the deadly infectious disease.