A frail American woman was found tied to a tree in an Indian forest — saying her husband had left her to die without food for 40 days.
Lalita Kayi, 50, was found tied up in a dense forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district by a shepherd who heard her cries on Saturday night, NDTV reported.
He was taken to the Goa Medical College for special treatment, where he was paralyzed and unable to speak.
However, she wrote a note in English stating that she had “starved for 40 days in the forest” after her husband “tied” her to a tree with an iron chain.
Authorities believe the woman – who has also written about suffering from “extreme psychosis” – is suffering from mental health issues, NDTV reported. He found a cure for such problems.
However, the police have opened an investigation into the possible murder of his estranged wife, which is unknown.
“The police are also trying to verify if the lady's claim that her ex-husband was handcuffed is true. We are verifying all the claims and information in his written note,” Superintendent of Police Saurabh Agrawal said in a release.
Ms Kayi was found with a US passport – as well as an expired visa which suggested she had lived in India for 10 years, media reports said. It is not clear where he came from in America.
Another document said she was living with her husband in Tamil Nadu.
He was unable to give an official statement to the authorities due to his health condition.
“When we found him, he was very dehydrated. It looks like he stayed there for at least 48 hours. Although he is mute,” said Amol Chavan, inspector of Sawantwadi police station and a member of the team that found him.
According to Mr. Chavan, the police were forced to cut down the tree and break the lock that was holding the woman captive.
Officials have not yet confirmed when Ms Kayi was tied to the tree, but the area where she was was recently hit by rain.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and is reprinted with permission
