Police in Papua New Guinea are on the hunt for the leader of a bizarre sex cult.

The man and his followers fled naked into the bush after police tried to arrest them.

The cultists had come from villages in Morobe province, where the leader had promised a bumper banana harvest if they engaged in public sex.

Morobe province is about 200km north of the capital Port Moresby.

When police tried to arrest the leader, he made a dash for freedom with about seven naked followers, after using two wives as human shields.

The cult leader has been investigated over the past months for a range of alleged offences, including threatening behaviour and illegal sexual activity.