The American woman who was found chained to a tree in a forest in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district had reportedly shackled herself, the police and her doctor have told the BBC.
She was found in July by a shepherd who heard her screams in a dense forested area in Sonurli village, some 450 kilometres from the state capital Mumbai, after which he alerted the police.
Lalita Kayi Kumar S, 50, had initially stated that her former husband tied her to the tree and left her there without any food or water. A case was filed based on a note written by her at the hospital.
Kayi has been receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital, and has not spoken publicly about the incident. The US embassy has also refused to comment, citing her right to privacy, BBC reported.
Kayi has now told the police that she was not married and claimed that she was probably suffering from hallucinations when she gave her initial statement, Saurabh Agarwal, superintendent of police for Sindhudurg, told BBC Marathi on Tuesday.
When she was found by the police, in her possession was an Aadhaar card with a Tamil Nadu address and a photocopy of her US passport that showed she was a US citizen who came from Massachusetts. She also had a mobile phone, a tablet and Rs 31,000, BBC reported. Police said she had been in India for 10 years and her visa had expired.
According to BBC, she told the police that she was distressed about her expired visa and was running out of money, so she bought locks and chains and tied herself to a tree.
While speaking to BBC Marathi, Dr Sanghamitra Phule, superintendent of the psychiatric facility where Kayi is being treated, said “her condition is improving”. Phule said Kayi eats, walks and exercises, and she is being given some nutrients that were lacking in her body.
Her family in the US has been traced and Kayi has spoken to them over the phone.