A man using the metro service in Delhi for the first time has been fined after crossing the tracks in a bid to catch a train, authorities in the Indian capital have said.

CCTV footage of the incident shows 21-year-old Mayur Patel casually jumping down off one platform and walking across to the other in front of a stationary train.

Just as Mr Patel moves ahead of the front carriage, however, the train begins to pull away. The hapless passenger is unable to lift himself up onto the platform in time - but receives no more than a bump as the train quickly comes back to a halt.

The incident took place at the Shastri Nagar station in the north of the city. According to the ANI news agency, Mr Patel had asked a fellow passenger how to get to Rohini, at the far western end of the Red line. When he was pointed in the direction of the opposite platform, he said, he simply walked across, not realising that he was supposed to use the escalators and footbridge.

Crossing platforms in this way is common practice in most train stations in India, but on the Delhi Metro it can result in a fine of up to Rs 500 (£5.50, or about 20 times the average fare for a journey) and imprisonment for up to six months.

Most tracks on the Delhi metro are not electrified, but trains arrive and depart much faster than at traditional stations, and without similar warnings. The majority of stations do not have barriers preventing passengers from accessing the tracks, though some on social media called for these measures after the CCTV was shared widely.

Others praised the quick thinking of the driver.