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A couple have been mauled to death by a sloth bear who also devoured their bodies in a savage forest killing.
Mukesh Rai and his wife Gudiya were walking home through a wooded area in Panna, India, when they spotted the beast.
Mukesh, 43, and Gudiya, 39, reportedly attempted to confront the bear before the brutal attack at around 6.30am on Sunday, June 5.
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 tranquilise and capture the beast.
The bear has been transported to a zoo and the couple's dependents have been given financial assistance of 400,000 Rupee.
Divisional Forest Officer Gaurav Sharma told DNA India: "The animal will not be released in the forest and we plan to send it to some zoo in another city."