US woman found chained to tree and left to die in India jungle

Police file case of attempted murder against former husband of woman identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar

Screenshot of Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50-year-old American woman, found tied to tree in a forest in India (India Today)

A 50-year-old American woman was found chained to a tree and left to die in a forest in India, police said.

The woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar, was rescued after a shepherd heard her cries on Saturday evening in Sonurli village, located about 450km from India’s financial capital of Mumbai in the south-western state of Maharashtra.

Police registered a case of attempted murder against Ms Kumar’s former husband based on a note scribbled by her at the hospital.

The authorities ascertained her identity and residential address from photocopies of a US passport and a national identity card recovered from her.

”Based on the note written by the woman at the hospital, a case has been registered against her former husband on charges of attempted murder, act endangering life or personal safety of others and wrongful confinement under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” Saurabh Agrawal, superintendent of police of Sindhudurg district, said. BNS is India’s official criminal code.

She was transferred to a hospital in the neighbouring state of Goa, Mr Agrawal told the wire agency Press Trust of India. She is “weak” and “not in a position to give her statement”, he said.

Officials do not yet know how long she was left tied to the tree. “The area where she was found had experienced heavy rain,” Mr Agrawal said.

“We have found that the woman, who appears to have been born in the US, had also resided in Goa for some time. We are trying to find out whom she was in touch with in the past few months,” he added.

Police say she appears not to have eaten for several days. The husband, whose name was not disclosed by officials, allegedly hails from Tamil Nadu. Forest inspector Vikas Padve told The Hindu newspaper that while doctors told the authorities she was doing “fine”, Ms Kumar was “suffering from psychiatric issues.

“She is unable to speak and remains under observation,” Mr Padve said.

“She reportedly left her husband after a quarrel,” a police official was quoted as saying by the outlet.

The victim was believed to be living in India for the past ten years, reported the Hindustan Times, quoting officials from the local police station. The authorities have sent a team of investigators to Tamil Nadu and Goa to trace her relatives.