A police officer was lowered by helicopter into a crocodile-infested river to retrieve a dead businessman who had been eaten by one of the animals.

The dramatic mission unfolded over the Komati River in South Africa’s northeast after authorities launched a desperate search for the missing man. His vehicle had been stranded while attempting to cross a flooded low-water bridge last week.

By the time officers arrived at the scene, the car was empty, leading investigators to believe the powerful currents had dragged away the businessman.

Police divers, helicopters, and drones were deployed in the hunt before officers spotted a small island where several crocodiles were lying in the sun.

Captain Johant ‘Pottie’ Potgieter, commander of a police diving unit, said years of experience led them to suspect one of the reptiles had recently eaten.

‘Besides having a massively full tummy, he didn’t move around or try to slip into the river despite the noise of the drones and the chopper,’ he told News24. 

The crocodile was killed before Potgieter undertook what police later described as a ‘highly dangerous and complex operation’ to retrieve the beast from the river.

In astonishing scenes, the officer was lowered from a helicopter by rope before securing the reptile so both could be airlifted out of the water. 

The dramatic mission unfolded over the Komati River in South Africa’s northeast after authorities launched a desperate search for the missing man

In astonishing scenes, the officer was lowered from a helicopter by rope before securing the reptile so both could be airlifted out of the water

Potgieter also revealed that investigators found six different types of shoes inside the crocodile

‘The sharp end of a crocodile is not the best place to approach it,’ Potgieter told the news website. 

The enormous crocodile, measuring 4.5metres long and weighing around 500kg, was then transported to nearby Kruger National Park, where human remains were discovered inside its intestines.

DNA testing is now being carried out to establish whether the remains belong to the missing businessman.

Potgieter also revealed that investigators found six different types of shoes inside the crocodile.

He said the discovery could suggest the reptile had attacked other victims, though he cautioned that it was not definitive evidence.

‘A crocodile will eat or swallow anything,’ he said.

South Africa’s acting police chief, Lt-Gen Puleng Dimpane, praised the officers involved in the operation.