More than 5,000 coronavirus cases have been reported from Mumbai.
More than 100 policemen in Maharashtra - the worst hit state in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic - have contracted the highly contagious illness, which has infected over 26,000 people in the country so far and killed at least 800. Two of these policemen from Mumbai have died, the city police tweeted this afternoon.
"Painful to know that two of our policemen have lost their lives fighting coronavirus. Their families will be supported as per government's policy," Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said this afternoon during a video conference.
A total of 107 cops in the state have tested positive for COVID-19; seven of them have recovered.
Two cops - 57-year-old Chandrakant Ganapat Pendurkar and 52-year-old Sandip Surve - are among the frontline workers who have lost their lives in Mumbai, the worst affected city in the country that has reported over 5,000 COVID-19 patients so far.
In a tribute on Twitter, Mumbai police wrote: "Two of Mumbai Police's heroes - HC Chandrakant Ganapat Pendurkar and HC Sandip Surve - succumbed to the fight against Coronavirus. In the memory of the departed souls, Mumbai Police will not be uploading any tweets today. Only responses will be given."
In Navi Mumbai, wife of a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 also died due to the illness. Their daughter has also contracted the illness.
The increasing number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra Police is an extremely worrying trend. Frontline workers are at the greatest risk of getting infected.
The state has so far reported more than 7,600 cases, including over 300 deaths. On Saturday, Mararashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope indicated that the lockdown may be extended in Mumbai and Pune, which have emerged as the hotspots during this pandemic.
Pune has over 1,000 coronavirus cases. Thane is also among the COVID-19 hotspots in the state.
Today, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that 80 per cent of the state's total cases are asymptomatic, which means patients did not show any symptoms.