India: Thriller unfolds as emaciated American woman found chained to tree in forest

According to the New York Post, Lalita Kayi was found chained to a tree by a shepherd who heard her cries for help on Saturday night. The woman, who appeared emaciated in photos published by NDTV, was immediately rushed to a medical center in Goa for specialized treatment.

महाराष्ट्र : जंगल में पुलिस को जंजीरों से बंधी मिली अमेरिकी महिला, पूर्व पति पर हत्या की कोशिश का मामला दर्ज#Maharashtra | #Police https://t.co/RWQJkjIgHk

— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) July 30, 2024

Though too weak to speak, Kayi wrote a note in English stating she had survived “40 days without food in the forest” after her “husband tied” her to a tree with an iron chain.

Local authorities believe the woman, who mentioned in her note that she had been treated for “extreme psychosis,” suffers from psychological issues, as highlighted by NDTV. Medications related to these issues were found on her.

An elderly woman from the United States was found chained to a tree in a forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district on Saturday.

According to the police, the woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar S, lives in Tamil Nadu and is originally from the US. Police suspect that the… pic.twitter.com/X3i7PqCvUV

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) July 29, 2024

The police have launched an investigation into a possible murder attempt by Kayi’s estranged husband, whose name has not been released to the press. “We are trying to verify the woman’s claim that her former husband chained her. We are checking every claim and information in the note she wrote,” said police inspector Saurabh Agrawal to the agency.

When Kayi was found, she had an American passport and an expired visa, indicating she has been living in India for about ten years. It is unclear which part of the United States she hails from.

Other documents found in her possession suggest she lived with her husband in Tamil Nadu.

“When we found her, she was critically dehydrated. It appears she had been there for at least 48 hours, though she was unable to speak to us,” said Amol Chavan, inspector at Sawantwadi police station and a member of the team that discovered her.

The police had to cut the tree and break the lock on the chain that bound the woman, according to Chavan.

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