Lalita Kayi, A 50-year-old American woman who went viral after being found chained to a tree in a forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district in India. She told police that she tied herself up with iron chains, insisting no one else was involved. Authorities have cited her mental health conditions for this act of self-harm. She is now undergoing treatment at the regional mental hospital in Ratnagiri's psychiatric department.
Reports indicate this isn't the first time she has engaged in such behavior. Previously, she was involved in a similar incident in Tamil Nadu before moving to Goa. The recent incident on July 27 sparked significant public and media attention after a shepherd heard her cries and found her shackled to a tree. Police promptly rescued her and took her to a hospital.
On August 3, she provided a statement to the police, revealing that she suffers from hallucinations. During one such episode, she must have believed her former husband tied her to the tree. She clarified that she has no husband, contradicting earlier claims that he bound her and left her to die after injecting her with a substance causing psychosis and a locked jaw.
Following her rescue, police found a note in her bag alleging her "former husband" had tied her to the tree. This led to an attempt to murder case being registered against the supposed former husband.
The woman further explained that she purchased three locks and iron chains, using one set to tie herself to a tree near Sonurli village, approximately 460 km from Mumbai. Police believe she might have reached the forest near the Maharashtra-Goa border by train.
"The woman was traveling to Goa from Mumbai. Since there is a single track, the train halts a couple of times before entering Goa. That spot is close to this forest. We suspect she got off when the train halted," an officer told The Indian Express.
This incident has highlighted the woman's mental health struggles and raised questions about how she managed to acquire and use the chains and locks. The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to monitor her condition and seek to understand the full circumstances of her actions.
