THIS is the harrowing moment a dad-of-four is dragged away and mauled to death by a crocodile in front of his terrified family.

Arifuddin, 53, was enjoying a swim with family members when suddenly, a large reptile appeared from the water, sinking its teeth into his leg, prompting him to scream in agony.

The horrifying attack took place along the Bulete River in South Sulawesi in Indonesia on Thursday.

In the terrifying footage, Arifuddin can be seen reaching out to the river bank as the croc violently secures its grip on him.

He can be heard wailing in agony as the predator holds its firm lock on him.

Several villagers can also be seen frantically attempting to drag him out while he lets out bloodcurdling screams.

But tragically, the man vanished beneath the surface of the water before they could reach him.

Emergency teams rushed to the scene in Wajo Regency after reports of the brutal attack at around 6pm local time. 

Locals reportedly spotted the crocodile later on carrying the victim’s body through muddy waters.

But they could not retrieve it immediately.

The deadly reptile loitered in the area for several hours, swimming in circles, before it eventually stopped for rest on a bank.

It appeared to get up about a mile from where the fatal attack took place.

Locals reportedly managed to trap the crocodile before recovering some of Arifuddin’s remains.

They then drove the beast away by throwing rocks at it.

A local policeman said: “Initially, the victim was bathing with his relatives. 

“But shortly after, he was heard screaming. It became evident to his relatives that a crocodile had attacked him.

“We managed to evacuate the victim, and the distance was around one mile from the starting point where he was attacked.”

Shocked locals said the river is often used for bathing and washing clothes.

And they admitted it had never been known to be a crocodile habitat.

In April, a dad was killed in a horror crocodile attack in Indonesia after the beast grabbed him and dragged him into the water.

Sarangadi, 49, was mauled to death while his friends battled to pull him out from the crocodile’s jaws.

And in March, a school boy was brutally mauled to death by a crocodile while playing in a river with pals.

Fikri Qurniawansyah, 10, was riding a makeshift canoe with mates when the deadly reptile pounced on them in Riau province, Indonesia.