American Woman Found Chained To A Tree After 40 Days Without Food, Says Husband Left Her There

Trigger warning: description of abuse

An American woman has been rescued after being allegedly chained to a tree and left to die by her ex-husband, authorities in India say. 

Lalita Kayi Kumar was found looking emaciated in a forest in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra after a shepherd heard her cries for help on Saturday (June 27), according to NDTV.

“When we discovered her, she was seriously dehydrated. It appears that she was stuck there for a minimum of 48 hours. Although she was mute,” explained Amol Chavan, an inspector at Sawantwadi Police Station who was part of the rescue operation.

4 PHOTOS

1. An American woman was found chained to a tree in a forest in Maharashtra, India after allegedly being left there to die by her ex-husband

2. 

The US woman who was found tied to a tree with an iron chain

in a forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district is not able to record her statement with the police

as she is weak and has not eaten anything in a couple of days.

A woman has been in India for the past 10 years.

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The 50-year-old alleged that her ex-husband had left her there 40 days earlier following a domestic dispute. According to some reports, the victim and the alleged abuser are still married.

Police have named the man, whose identity has not been made public, as a suspect.

Authorities reportedly found copies of her U.S. passport next to her, as well as Indian documentation indicating that she had overstayed her visa and had been living in India for ten years.

The woman was rushed to the hospital in Sawantwadi and later transferred to Goa Medical College Hospital.

She is now “out of danger,” officials said. 

3. In a written statement, Kumar said she had spent 40 days tied to a tree without food

Image credits: IndiaToday

Due to her weakened state, she was unable to speak to authorities and instead provided a written statement.

“She is not in a position to give her statement. She is weak as she has not eaten anything for a couple of days,” said Saurabh Agrawal, Superintendent of Police of Sindhudurg district.

Authorities reportedly suspect that Kumar was suffering from schizophrenia, as the prescription medication recovered from the scene suggests she was undergoing treatment for a psychiatric illness.

4. Kumar’s ex-husband and other relatives are being traced in India

Image credits: IndiaToday

“Police are also trying to verify if the woman’s claim that she was chained by her former husband was genuine. We are verifying every claim and information in the note written by her,” the superintendent added.

Kumar’s ex-husband and other relatives are being traced in Tamil Nadu and Goa, Agrawal added.

Her ex-partner is facing charges of attempted murder, act endangering the life or personal safety of others, and wrongful confinement, police said.