Tamil Nadu woman with US passport found chained in Maharashtra forest
Representative image of a police vehicle.
A 50-year-old woman with a copy of her United States passport was found chained to a tree in a forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district on Saturday (July 27), about 1,750 km south of New Delhi.
The incident has raised serious concerns about domestic violence and mental health.
The woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar S, who resides in southern India's Tamil Nadu, was found by a shepherd in the remote village of Sonurli. The shepherd heard her cries on Saturday evening and immediately alerted the local authorities. When police arrived at the scene, they found her one leg chained to a tree.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Lalita's husband may have chained her in the forest following a domestic dispute. The local police provided first aid and transported her to a primary healthcare centre in Sawantwadi taluka. Given her condition, she was referred to a more advanced medical facility in Sindhudurg's Oros for further treatment.
Medical professionals at the hospital noted that Lalita appeared to be suffering from psychiatric issues.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
Unable to speak coherently, she communicated by writing about her health problems on paper. A video from the hospital shows Lalita detailing her ordeal, claiming she had been without food for 40 days and that her husband had abandoned her in the forest after an argument.
Also watch |Indian woman from Hyderabad found starving on Chicago streets
Maharashtra Police are currently investigating the incident, though no First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the time of filing this report.
"The woman is not in a position to give her statement. She is very weak, having not eaten for several days and endured heavy rains in the area. We are still determining how long she was tied to the tree. According to initial reports, she left her husband after a quarrel," a police official was quoted as saying by India Today.
(With inputs from agencies)