An official said the woman has been in India for the past 10 years
The US woman who was found tied to a tree with an iron chain in a forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district is not able to record her statement with the police as she is weak and has not eaten anything in a couple of days, officials said on Monday.
She has been identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, and was found chained in Sonurli village, some 450 kilometres from the state capital Mumbai on Saturday, after a shepherd heard her cries and alerted the police.
A photocopy of her US passport as well as other documents, including an Aadhaar card with a Tamil Nadu address, was recovered from her.
"The woman is not in a position to give her statement. She is weak as she has not eaten anything for a couple of days and also as the area experienced heavy rains," an official said.
She was first taken to a hospital in Sawantwadi in the Konkan region and then to Oros in Sindhudurg.
"Considering her mental and health condition, she was moved to Goa Medical College for advanced treatment. She is out of danger. Doctors treating her said she suffers from psychiatric problems. We have found medical prescriptions in her possession," the official said.
Husband Behind The Crime?
Police have registered a case of attempted murder against the former husband of the American woman.
The case was registered based on the note written by the woman at a hospital, an official said.
According to the note, the woman claimed that her former husband, a resident of Tamil Nadu, tied her with an iron chain in the forest and left the place.
Police had earlier said that her visa had expired and that they were getting all her documents verified to ascertain her nationality.
As per initial information obtained by police, the woman has been in India for the past 10 years.
The official said police teams have left for Tamil Nadu, Goa, and some other places to trace her relatives as part of the probe.