An American woman who was chained to a tree in the Indian jungle and left for dead has been rescued after a local pastor heard her anguished cries for help.
Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found in a forest near Sonurli village, about 450 kilometres from Mumbai, on Saturday morning. She was tied to a tree with an iron chain.
Kumar, whose right leg was swollen from the chain, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. She was severely dehydrated, unable to speak and had likely not eaten in several days, the report said. The times of Lokmat reported.
It is unclear how long Kumar was in the jungle, as the area experienced heavy rains recently, but according to Indian TelevisionShe told investigators that her ex-husband had tied her to the tree and that she had gone 40 days without eating.
Police have started a case of attempted murder against Kumar’s ex-husband, who also faces charges of endangering the life or personal safety of another person and wrongful confinement.
The woman was found tied to a tree, emaciated, by a cattle herder. The woman said her husband left her there after a domestic dispute.
She was rushed to a local hospital where she was treated for several issues, including dehydration.
Initial reports indicate that authorities are investigating the possibility that the woman’s husband may have had something to do with the incident.
“He is out of danger,” a police official told The Telegraph Online.
A cattle herder found Kumar near Sawantwadi on Saturday morning after hearing loud noises coming from the dense forest.
Police arrived at the spot and used a cutter to break the chain and free the woman from the tree. She was rushed to a primary health centre in Sawantwadi, where she received initial treatment.
Kumar was later shifted to a more advanced facility for further treatment.
Footage from inside the hospital shows Kumar writing a note about her condition in which she claimed that her ex-husband had abandoned her in the forest following a domestic dispute. She also claimed that she had not eaten in over a month.
“He’s out of danger,” a police officer said. The Telegraph Online“The doctors who treated her said she suffered from psychiatric problems. We found medical prescriptions in her possession.”
Authorities say Kumar is “doing well” but remains under observation and “suffering from psychiatric problems.” He is reportedly “weak” and “not in a condition to give a statement” to police at this time.
Kumar was born in the United States but had been living in Goa, a state neighbouring the one where she was found, for “some time”. Authorities are trying to determine who he and his wife have been in contact with over the past few months.
Kumar, who was married to a man from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the same area where Vice President Kamala Harris’s father is from, is believed to have been living in India for the past 10 years.
Authorities recovered a photocopy of his U.S. passport and national identification card at the scene. Authorities also said his “visa has expired.”
