The body of Ms Jahrah, 54, was found on October 23 when villagers cut open the stomach of a nearly 7m-long python in the village of Terjun Gajah, Lampung province on the island of Sumatra.

Ms Jahrah has been missing since the night of October 21 after going to the forest near her home to collect rubber latex.

By dawn, the woman had not returned home, causing the victim’s family to become concerned and begin a search. After many days of searching for missing people, people found a giant python with its stomach so full it could barely move. An elongated shape rising in the middle of its belly portends a bad omen for those who witness it.

The locals killed the python and left it lying on the ground, carefully cutting a line along the python’s belly. When the python’s belly was cut open, everyone saw Ms. Jahrah’s body lying inside.

When the python’s belly was cut open, the villagers saw Ms. Jahrah’s body lying inside. Photo: Viral Press

Mr. Anto, the head of Ms. Jarah’s village, said the python could have bitten and killed Ms. Jahrah by squeezing her, suffocating her and then swallowing her. This painful process lasts at least two hours.

According to the Daily Mail , fully digesting a meal that size can take weeks. After dissecting the python, Ms. Jarah’s body (including her clothes) was almost intact.

Mr Anto said: “No one saw Jahrah being swallowed by the python when she went into the forest alone.”

According to Anto, several giant pythons have been seen in the forest. And Mrs Jahrah’s death further worried local residents. Previously, people tried to catch a python that was more than 8 meters long, but couldn’t because the python was too strong.

Mr Anto added: “Villagers are worried that there are still larger pythons in the forest. “Many people think that giant pythons are to blame for swallowing two goats in the village.”

The villagers are worried that there are still larger pythons in the forest. Photo: Viral Press

This is not the first case of people being swallowed by giant pythons in Indonesia. In March 2017, residents of a remote village on the island of Sulawesi cut open the belly of a giant python because they suspected it had swallowed a village resident. The victim is Mr. Akbar Salubiro, 25, who disappeared after going to harvest palm oil.

In 2018, a woman from Muna Island (Sulawesi Province) was also swallowed by a 7-meter-long python while visiting a corn field almost 1 km from her home.

Agricultural experts believe giant pythons attack people because their habitat is damaged by human exploitation activities. When their natural food sources are depleted, they have no choice but to eat whatever they can find.