An American woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was discovered chained to a tree in a dense forest in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district on Saturday morning in India, according to the Daily Mail.
She had reportedly endured 40 days without food before being found by a local shepherd, who alerted authorities.
Kumar, a U.S. citizen who has been living in India for the past decade, was found with her passport and an expired Indian visa.
She was rushed to a primary healthcare center in Sawantwadi before being transferred to a more advanced facility for further treatment. Initial medical assessments revealed severe dehydration and swelling in her right leg from the iron chain used to restrain her.
In a note written from her hospital bed, Kumar accused her husband, Satish, of leaving her in the forest following a domestic dispute. She wrote, “Husband tied me to a tree in a forest,” detailing her ordeal of starvation and dehydration.
Authorities have launched an attempted murder case against Satish, who also faces charges of endangering personal safety and wrongful confinement. The investigation is ongoing, with police examining leads outside the Sindhudurg district.
A cattle herder from the nearby village of Sawantwadi discovered Kumar after hearing her cries from within the forest. Police arrived at the scene, used a cutter to free her from the tree, and transported her to medical facilities for treatment.
