Foreign woman found chained to tree in forest; police begin probe

MUMBAI: In a shocking incident, a foreign woman was found chained to a tree in a forest in Maharashtra. The 50-year-old woman was rescued by the police from Sonurli village in the Sindhudurg forest region in Maharashtra.

The police have recovered a photocopy of the American passport, an Aadhaar card with a Tamil Nadu address and other documents from the woman. The woman, who was found in a weak condition, was first rushed to a hospital in Sindhudurg and later shifted to the Goa Medical College.

"The woman is weak as she has not eaten anything for a couple of days and also as the area experienced heavy rains. We don't know for how long she was tied to that tree. She is unable to properly answer our questions. We believe that her husband, who hails from Tamil Nadu, tied her there and fled," police said.

"As per the documents recovered from the woman, her name is Lalita Kayi. Her visa has expired. We will get all the documents verified to ascertain her nationality," the police added.

Doctors said that the woman was out of danger. It was some of the shepherds in the Sindhudurg region who found the woman chained to a tree in the forest on Saturday. The locals said that it appeared that the woman suffered from psychiatric problems.