Representative image showing iron chain tied on a tree.
Credit: iStock Photo
Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a 50-year-old woman with mental health condition was found tied to a tree along with her documents and photocopy of her United States’ passport in the Sindhudurg district of coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra.
The woman has been staying in India for a decade now.
The woman, identified as Lalita Kayi-Kumari S, was found in the jungles near Sonarli village in Sawantwadi of Sindhudurg district.
Local shepherds heard her cries and found her chained to a tree.
They immediately informed the Bandi police station, which swung into action and took her to local hospitals in Sawantwadi and then to Oras.
Subsequently she was shifted to the Goa Medical College & Hospital, Bambolim, in the neighbouring state.
From the spot, the police found a US passport copy bearing an expired visa stamp on it, an Aadhaar Card with a Tamil Nadu address apparently belonging to her husband.
The Sindhudurg district police have formed three teams and sent them to Mumbai, Goa and Tamil Nadu for investigations, to trace her husband and family, the reason for deserting her in the forests.
In Mumbai, the team is expected to meet officials of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and the United States Consulate.
"The woman is not in a position to give her statement. 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. We are trying to cross-check the details based on the documents that have been found with her,” officials said.
The exact reasons why she was abandoned is not yet known.