Woman Who Claimed Husband Tied Her to Tree Allegedly Admits She Did It Herself — and Reveals Why: Report

Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found emaciated by a shepherd in a forest in India on July 27, police say

Indian authorities say an American woman who was found emaciated and tied to a tree in a forest in India is now allegedly claiming she did it herself despite initially blaming her husband, the BBC reports.

Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found on July 27 by a shepherd who said they heard her cries in the forest, according to police in a district 280 miles from Mumbai, India, per Deccan Chronicle, The Times of London and the Indian Express.

She had been bound to a tree with an iron chain, The Hindustan Times reported at the time, citing police.

Photos of her dramatic presumed rescue published across several news outlets showed the woman in ragged clothing, emaciated and with one of her legs tied to the tree.

Next to her, police reportedly found copies of her U.S. passport, which indicated an expired Indian visa, her address in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as well and medical prescriptions, per police, the Deccan Chronicle and the Indian Express reported at the time.

After being taken to the hospital, she told police and medical authorities in a written note that she had been without food for 40 days after her husband allegedly left her there to die, according to a video shared by India Today.

Her allegations prompted an attempted murder investigation, police said.

Now, nearly two weeks later, police say Kumar allegedly admitted that she tied herself to the tree, according to the BBC's reporting.

Saurabh Agarwal, the superintendent for the district investigating the case, further told the BBC that Kumar allegedly said she was neither married nor tied to the tree by her “husband.”

She also allegedly claimed she was suffering from hallucinations, per police. Earlier, in her note written to police, she had said she had a locked jaw from an "injection for extreme psychosis."

Kumar allegedly said she concocted the story because she was worried about her expired visa, per police. She further alleged her stress was caused by her finances — so she bought chains and locks to tie herself to the tree, police allege, per the BBC.

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Authorities had questioned her claims from the initial stages of the investigation, stating it was unlikely for someone to go without food for 40 days per the BBC. MedLine Plus, a health information website run by the NIH National Library of Medicine, states: "Without consuming water, humans would die in a few days."

Local doctors told the BBC that Kumar's health is improving and that she is in touch with her family. It wasn't immediately clear if there will be charges against her.

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