The mayor of a town in Peru pretended to have died from the coronavirus and hid in a coffin in order to avoid arrest for breaking lockdown rules, it's alleged.

Jaime Rolando Urbina Torres put on a facemask and lay down in the coffin when officers came to detain him during a boozy night with his pals, it's claimed.

The mayor of the central town of Tantara was detained for violating a curfew and social distancing rules he was meant to be enforcing.

His friends are alleged to have hidden in drawers.

It’s unclear where the party took place or why there were open caskets close at hand.

The mayor has already faced criticism from some locals who accused him of being absent for much of the outbreak.

They say he has spent just eight days in the town since the start of the lockdown and has failed to put in place any local safety measures.

Video later emerged of him being quizzed by the police about his actions.

Tantara was placed into lockdown 66 days ago, along with the rest of Peru, by the central government.

The country has so far seen 104,020 cases, the world’s 12th highest in the Covid-19 pandemic, with 3,024 deaths. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy of The Sun UK)