At least 18 police personnel, including an officer, have died of COVID-19 in Maharashtra so far, an official said on Saturday.

The Maharashtra police, which is ensuring a strict enforcement of the lockdown in the state, has been severely hit by the pandemic.

As many as 1,671 personnel, including 174 officers and 1,497 other staffers, have contracted the deadly infection so far, the official said, adding that the Mumbai police had accounted for the highest number of infections and casualties in the department.

At least 42 police officers and 499 constables, who had tested positive for COVID-19, have recovered from the infection so far, he added.

Apart from the risk of infection, the police also had to face public ire while enforcing the lockdown in different parts of the state.