American Woman Found Hungry and Chained to Tree in India Had Tyre Herself: Indian Police
BBCAn American woman found chained to a tree in a “screaming” position in a forest in the western Indian state of Maharashtra had chained herself, police and her doctor told the BBC.
Lalita Kayi, 50, was rescued about 10 days ago from dense forests in Sindhudurg district after her cries for help were heard by shepherds.
In a written statement to police, she alleged that her husband had “chained her up and left her in the woods to die without food or water”.
Kayi, who is being treated at a psychiatric facility, has not spoken publicly. The US Embassy also declined to comment, citing her privacy.
Kayi’s discovery shocked India and police formed several teams to investigate how she came to be in the forest.
Saurabh Agarwal, the Sindhudurg police chief, told BBC Marathi on Tuesday that Ms Kayi had said she was not married and was probably hallucinating when she gave her initial statement.
Police said she told them she was upset because her visa had expired and she was running out of money, so she bought a lock and chain and tied herself to a tree.
Dr Sanghamitra Phule, director of the psychiatric hospital where Ms Kayi is being treated, told BBC Marathi that “her condition is improving”.
“She eats, walks and exercises. She is receiving treatment and we also give her some nutrients that her body is lacking.”
Dr Phule said her family had been found in the United States and Ms Kayi had been in contact with them by phone.
She was discovered by a cowherd on 27 July while he was herding cattle in the woods and heard “a woman screaming very loudly”.
“The noise came from the forest on the mountainside. When I got there, I saw one of her legs tied to a tree. She was screaming like a beast. I called other villagers and the local police.”
Police sawed off the chains and rescued her. Ms Kayi, who looked completely emaciated, was taken to hospital and after her physical health improved, she was transferred to a psychiatric facility for further treatment.
Police said they found a copy of her passport – which stated she was a US citizen from Massachusetts – and other documents showing her home address in Tamil Nadu. She also had a mobile phone, a tablet and 31,000 rupees ($370; £290) on her.
Ms Kayi, who was initially unable to speak, communicated with police and doctors by writing notes in a notebook.
She said she was married to a man in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and blamed him for tying her to the tree. She claimed she had gone without food and water for 40 days. Police questioned her claim, saying it was unlikely a person could survive without food or water for that long.
