A half-tonne "demon" crocodile was beheaded by locals after they carried it on a bulldozer to the burial site.

The 4.5 meter long crocodile was hunted by villagers in Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia on August 4 evening.

They set traps for the giant reptile amid fears that it would harm them since they live by the river. It then died from exhaustion after getting tangled in the nets laced with blades.

Septian Garo, Head of the Bangka Belitung Islands Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA), said: "The crocodile was caught by residents. That's the information we received from officers in the local village."

When BKSDA officers arrived at the scene, they found that the reptile, estimated to be 50-years-old, had no teeth.

Garo added that they negotiated with the villagers to let them handle the 500kg crocodile's body but superstitious locals were insistent that they keep it for a religious rite.

He said: "There was a belief that the crocodile should not be removed from the village because it is a demon."

The hunters struggled to lift the giant reptile so they used a bulldozer to carry it from the river to a field where it will be buried.

Upon reaching the burial site, the hunters sawed off the dead crocodile's head "so the demon will not come back to life and haunt them''.

The village official Junaidi said: "The body and head must be buried separately because this is a demon crocodile. Before cutting it off, there is also a special ritual."

The giant crocodile was buried after the villagers participated in the ritual.