This is the horrifying moment brutal Indian villagers caught an endangered leopard that they later battered to death.

Footage shows the ferocious locals choking the helpless wild cat, with its tongue already out, in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday, December 3.

Forest Department officials stated that the animal strayed from the Sekhuai Beat of North Chowk Range and reached Lalpur village on the same day.

Authorities reported that the leopard attacked a woman named Pushpa around 2 pm while she was grazing goats. When nearby villagers heard her screams, they rushed to her aid, causing the leopard to flee.

The predator then attacked two farmers, Sanjay and Satendra, from Marchhawa Tola of Chakdah village while they were working in the field.

The pair jumped into the Rohin River to escape, with the leopard following them. Upon hearing their cries for help, locals rushed to the scene, managed to catch the wild cat and beat it to death mercilessly.

The leopard's body was taken to Gorakhpur Zoo.

Local reports indicate that leopards have been attacking and killing individuals in the country. Statistics estimate there have been 551 deaths from leopard and tiger attacks over a span of 20 years.

Findings from the latest assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicate that the Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is suspected of having declined by 24.5 per cent over the last three generations.