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, officials said on Monday.
She has been identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, and was found chained in Sonurli village, some 450 kilometres from the state capital Mumbai on Saturday, after a shepherd heard her cries and alerted the police.
A photocopy of her US passport as well as other documents, including an Aadhaar card with a Tamil Nadu address, was recovered from her.
“The woman is not in a position to give her statement. She is weak as she has not eaten anything for a couple of days and also as the area experienced heavy rains,” an official said.
She was first taken to a hospital in Sawantwadi in Konkan region and then to Oros in Sindhudurg.
“Considering her mental and health condition, she was moved to Goa Medical College for advanced treatment. She is out of danger. Doctors treating her said she suffers from psychiatric problems. We have found medical prescriptions in her possession,” the official said.
Husband Behind The Crime?
The official said they don’t know for how long she was tied to that tree and that they believe that her husband, who hails from Tamil Nadu, tied her there.
“We found her Aadhaar card with a Tamil Nadu address and a photocopy of her US passport. Her visa has expired. We are getting all these documents verified to ascertain her nationality. Police are also in touch with the Foreigners Regional Registration office,” the official said.
As per initial information obtained by police, the woman has been in India for the past 10 years, the official said.
The official said police teams have left for Tamil Nadu, Goa, and some other places to trace her relatives as part of the probe.
