American woman found chained to tree in Indian forest tied herself up, police say

Lalita Kayi Kumar accused her former husband chained her to a tree for 40 days, but has since confessed she tied herself. Photo / via video

• American woman Lalita Kayi Kumar, 49, was found chained to a tree in an Indian forest last month.
• Kumar claimed she was being held captive by her husband and had not had food or water for 40 days.
• Local authorities say Kumar has now told them she tied herself and was probably suffering from hallucinations.

An American woman found chained to a tree in an Indian forest has confessed she tied herself up, going against her earlier allegations that her husband was holding her captive.

Lalita Kayi Kumar, 49, was found by a shepherd in a forest near Sonurli village, Goa, last month after he heard her crying for several days.

Following her rescue, Kumar was unable to speak and proceeded to write a note alleging her husband had tied her to a tree with an iron chain and left her to die. She said she had been without food or water for 40 days.

She also claimed she was administered an “injection for extreme psychosis which caused severe jaws locked and inability to drink any water. Need intravenous food later ... husband tied me to a tree in a forest”.

A 50 year old American woman Lalita Kayi Kumar, was found tied to a tree with an iron chain in a jungle in Maharashtra, India, where she had been held captive by her Indian husband for 40 days.

She had come to India a decade ago to learn yoga and meditation, police said on… pic.twitter.com/wKR2w8tIx0

— Gurpreet S. Sahota (@GurpreetSSahota) July 31, 2024

The allegations triggered a manhunt for Kumar’s husband, but in a major twist, Kumar has reportedly told local authorities she does not have a husband and tied herself to the tree.

Saurabh Agarwal, superintendent of police for Sindhudurg, told the BBC that Kumar told authorities she was probably suffering from hallucinations when she gave her first statement and was not married.

Kumar also told police she had been distressed because her visa had run out and she was running out of money, so proceeded to buy locks and chains and tie herself to the tree, the BBC reported.

Kumar is now receiving treatment in a psychiatric facility.

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

“She eats, walks and also exercises. She is under treatment and we are also giving her some nutrients that her body was lacking.”

Phule said they had tacked down Kumar’s family in the US and she had spoken with them on the phone.

Kumar was found with her legs tied to the tree on July 27, but her hands unbound. Police at the time said she was too weak to unchain herself and proceeded to saw the chain off and rescue her.

There were also reportedly marks on her body from numerous other injuries.

Documents found on Kumar, including her passport, stated she was a US citizen who came from Massachusetts and had been residing in Tamil Nadu, a south Indian state about 965km away from the forest where she was found.

It was thought she had been living in India for the past decade.