The groom at a Covid-19 lockdown flouting secrete wedding has died while at least 80 guests were infected with the coronavirus in India.

The unnamed 30-year old software engineer from Gutugramhad reportedly had high fever before the ceremony but took paracetamol to get through the occasion in the Indian village of Paliganj near Patna.

However, the groom’s death cannot be positively linked to Covid-19, as his body was cremated before authorities were alerted but when officials were informed of his death they contacted relatives who attended the wedding and 15 tested positive for coronavirus.

His bride however tested negative for the deadly virus which according to government stats has so far killed more than 17,000 people in India, and infected nearly 590,000.

About 300 wedding guests have now been tested “and the number of positive cases could go higher, authorities in India reportedly “went into a tizzy” after establishing that about 80 of Bihar’s 394 new Covid-19 cases were linked to the secret ceremony.

The unnamed groom told relatives ahead of the June 15 wedding that he had a high temperature, and was keen to postpone the traditional Hindu tilak ceremony.

Two days later, on June 17, his condition worsened and during the rush to hospital, he died.

Health chiefs said that the wedding flouted social distancing and lockdown rules which only allow 50 people in mass gatherings in the area.