A sloth bear mauled a couple to death before devouring their bodies in a horror forest killing.

Mukesh Rai and his wife Gudiya were walking home through a wooded area in Panna, India when they spotted the beast.

The unsuspecting pair was then savaged by the creature as it tore their bodies apart before feeding on the carcasses, reports Times of India.

Mukesh, 43, and Gudiya, 39, reportedly attempted to confront the bear before the brutal attack at around 6:30 am on Sunday.

The bear is understood to have dragged their bodies towards a river before feasting on them for more than four hours.

Cops then arrived on the scene and it took officials a further two hours to tranquilize and capture the beast.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.