An Indian woman bit off her husband's penis after he caught her 'in a compromising position' with another villager.

The 45-year-old wife, named as Jayanthi, has been charged with attempted murder after 'confessing' to the crime, in Vellore district of southern India.

Police say she and her husband, a farmer called Senthamarai, had been at a temple festival in Thuraimoola village, near Gudiyatham.

An Indian woman bit off her husband's penis after he caught her 'in a compromising position' with another villager (file picture)

Jayanthi used the excuse of needing to relieve herself outside before slipping off to meet her lover at about 1.30am, according to The Times of India.

When she failed to return, a worried Senthamarai, 55, went out to look for her - only tom find his wife in a 'compromising position' with another villager, named as Dhatchanamoorthi.

In a rage, he grabbed them both and threatened to make their illicit relationship public, police said, with Senthamarai's dhoti - a garment that covers the legs - falling off in the struggle.

Fearing she and her lover would be thrashed by angry villagers, Jayanthi bit her husband's penis, severing part of it and escaped with her lover, officers reported.

Noise from the festival drowned out the sound of the scuffle.

A bleeding Senthamarai and the severed part of his penis were rushed to hospital in Chennai where his condition is described as stable.

Jayanthi was tracked down when police monitored Dhatchanamoorthi's mobile phone use.

She is said to have confessed to the crime and has been remanded in custody in Vellore central Prison for Women.