MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Police said on Tuesday that an attempt to murder case has been registered against the former husband of a 50-year-old American woman who was found chained to a tree in a jungle in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district. A police team has gone to Tamil Nadu to trace her former husband. The police said that the woman, who appears to have been born in the US, had also resided in Goa for some time.
The woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar (50), was found chained in Sonurli village in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra on Saturday. A shepherd heard her cries and alerted the police.
Initially, she was taken to two local hospitals in Sindhudurg. However, considering her delicate mental and physical conditions, she has been moved to Goa Medical College for further treatment. Though she is out of danger, doctors treating her said she suffers from psychiatric problems. “We have found medical prescriptions in her possession. She is not in a position to give her statement. She is weak as she has not eaten anything for a couple of days,” a police official said.
However, the police have registered a case based on a note written by the woman in a Sindhudurg hospital. In the note, she claimed that chained to a tree by her former husband and spent 40 in that condition in the forest. The police are still trying to ascertain her claims as they find it highly improbable that the woman would have survived for 40 days without food.
The police also found a medical prescription on her. They have contacted the US embassy as they had recovered a photocopy of a US passport from her as well as an Aadhar card in her name with a Tamil Nadu address.
As per initial information obtained by police, the woman has been in India for the past 10 years. The official said police teams have left for Tamil Nadu, Goa, and some other places to trace her relatives.
