Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have reported the first cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus, also known as B.1.617, prompting authorities to exercise caution to contain its spread.

Bangladesh overnight detected six people, who had recently visited India, infected with the Indian variant of the COVID-19, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) spokesman Professor Dr Nazmul Islam Munna said on Saturday

"Six people have been found to be carrying the Indian variant so far and we expect more people to be detected with identical types of virus in the coming days," Munna told PTI.

"This development means we in Bangladesh need extreme caution, perfect compliance of health guidelines . . . If we maintain the guidelines, no variant -- deadly or not -- can cause major problems," Munna said.

Following the detection of the Indian variant, Bangladesh on Saturday extended the closure of land borders with India for 14 more days.

Last month, Bangladesh sealed its borders with India due to the raging number of coronavirus cases in the neighbouring country. But officials and reports said many people came to Bangladesh from India under special arrangements and some of them fled a mandatory quarantine, heightening risks of spreading the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka on Saturday detected its first case of the Indian variant of coronavirus in a person who recently returned from India.