An Indian holy man who claimed that he could perform coronavirus exorcisms has died of the disease.

Coronavirus test

Coronavirus test

The exorcist would kiss the hands of devotees and told them that it would keep them free from the virus, but has now also infected 20 of his followers.

The unnamed man, from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, also claimed that his 'kiss-cure' could cure virus patients, even though the deadly bug spreads through contagious droplets from the mouth and nose.

Health officials confirmed that the man had tested positive for coronavirus on June 3 and had died 24 hours later.

Contact tracing then revealed that 20 others had been infected by his strange approach to treating the disease.

Swab collector Ruchika Chouhan warned that he could have infected even more.

He said: ''Twenty of them, including seven of his family, have tested positive. Some more reports are awaited.''