Mumbai: Woman found chained to a tree in Sindhudurg

Mumbai: A 50-year-old woman was found tied to a tree with an iron chain in a forest in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, and other documents, including a photocopy of her US passport and Aadhaar card bearing a Tamil Nadu address, were recovered from her, a police official said on Monday. A shepherd heard her cries on Saturday evening in Sonurali village, around 450 km from the city, and informed the police after finding her chained and in distress, the official said.

“The woman was rushed to Sawantwadi (in the state’s Konkan region) and then to a hospital in Oros in Sindhudurg. Considering her mental and health condition, she was shifted to Goa Medical College for advanced treatment. She is out of danger. Doctors treating her said she suffers from mental problems. We have recovered medical prescriptions from her,” the official said. “We have got her Aadhaar card bearing a Tamil Nadu address and a photocopy of her United States of America passport. She has been identified as Lalitha Kai. Her visa has expired. We are getting all these documents verified to ascertain her nationality. The police are also in touch with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office,” he said. According to the initial information received by the police, the woman has been living in India for the last 10 years. “The woman is not in a position to give her statement. She is weak as she has not eaten anything for the last few days and there has been heavy rain in the area. We don’t know for how long she was tied to that tree. We think her husband, who hails from Tamil Nadu, tied her there and fled,” the official said. As part of the investigation, police teams have visited Tamil Nadu, Goa and some other places to trace her relatives etc, the official said.