India: American woman found starving and chained to a tree in India: Indian Police

An American woman who was found chained to a tree “screaming” in a forest in the western Indian state of Maharashtra has committed suicide, police and her doctor have told the BBC.

Lalita Kayi, 50, was rescued about ten days ago from dense forests in Sindhudurg district after her cries for help were heard by shepherds.

In a statement written to the police, she revealed that her husband “tied her with chains and left her in the forest to die without food and water”.

Ms. Kayi, who is being treated at a mental institution, has not spoken publicly. The US ambassador also declined to comment, saying he had his right to privacy.

The discovery of Ms. Kayi has shocked India and the police have assembled many teams to investigate how she came to be in the forest.

Saurabh Agarwal, Sindhudurg superintendent of police, told BBC Marathi on Tuesday that Ms Kayi had said she was single and that she may have been delusional when she gave her first statement.

The police said that he told them that he was upset because his visa had expired and he was running out of money, so he bought locks and chains and tied himself to a tree.

Dr Sanghamitra Phule, superintendent of the psychiatric hospital where Ms Kayi is being treated, told BBC Marathi that “her condition is improving”.

“He eats, walks and exercises again. He is being treated and we are also giving him nutrients that his body was lacking.”

Dr. Phule said that his family was found in the US and Ms. Kayi was in contact with them by phone.

He was found on the 27th of July by a shepherd who took his cattle to graze in the forest and heard “a woman screaming loudly”.

“The sound was coming from the forest on the mountain. When I went there, I saw that his leg was tied to a tree. He was crying like an animal. I called other people from this area and the local police.”

They said the police cut his chain and rescued him. Ms. Kayi, who appeared to be completely unconscious, was rushed to the hospital and after her condition improved, she was taken to a mental institution for further treatment.

According to the police, they found a copy of his passport – which states that he is a US citizen from Massachusetts – and other documents with his home address in Tamil Nadu. He also had a mobile phone, a tablet and 31,000 rupees ($370; £290) in his hand.

Ms. Kayi, who was unable to speak at first, spoke to the police and doctors by writing pattern notes.

She said she was married to a man in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and accused him of tying her to a tree. He said that he has not eaten or water for 40 days. The police interrogated him, saying that it was unlikely that a person could survive for so long without food and water.