US woman found chained to tree in India tied herself, say police

The woman was found with identification documents, a mobile phone and money

An American woman who was found chained to a tree "screaming" in a forest in the western Indian state of Maharashtra had shackled herself, police and her doctor have told the BBC.

Lalita Kayi, 50, was rescued about 10 days ago from the dense forests of Sindhudurg district after her cries for help were heard by shepherds.

In a written statement to the police, she had alleged that her husband "chained her and left her in the forest to die without food or water".

Ms Kayi, who is receiving treatment in a psychiatric facility, has not spoken publicly. The US embassy has also refused to comment, citing her right to privacy.

Ms Kayi’s discovery had shocked India and police had constituted several teams to investigate how she came to be in the forest.

Saurabh Agarwal, superintendent of police for Sindhudurg, told BBC Marathi on Tuesday that Ms Kayi had now said that she was not married and that she was probably suffering from hallucinations when she gave her first statement.

Police said she told them she had been distressed because her visa had run out and she was running out of money, so she had bought locks and chains and tied herself to the tree.

Dr Sanghamitra Phule, superintendent of the psychiatric hospital where Ms Kayi is being treated, told BBC Marathi that "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."

Dr Phule said her family had been traced in the US and that Ms Kayi was in touch with them on the phone.

Ms Kayi was in an emaciated state and had to be carried on a stretcher

She was found on 27 July by a cow herder who had taken his cattle to graze in the forest and heard "a woman screaming loudly".

"The sound was coming from the forest on the side of the mountain. When I went there, I saw that one of her legs was tied to a tree. She was screaming like an animal. I called other villagers and the local police."

They police sawed off the chain and rescued her. Ms Kayi, who appeared completely emaciated, was taken to hospital and after her physical health improved, she was moved to the psychiatric facility for further treatment.

Police said that on her, they found a copy of her passport - which stated that she was a US citizen who came from Massachusetts - and some other documents with her home address in Tamil Nadu. She also had a mobile phone, a tablet and 31,000 rupees ($370; £290) in her possession.

Ms Kayi, who was initially unable to speak, communicated with the police and doctors by scribbling notes on a pad.

She said she was married to a man in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and blamed him for tying her to the tree. She claimed that she had gone without food and water for 40 days. Police had questioned her claim, saying it was unlikely that someone would survive without food or water for so long.