Maharashtra: Hunt for husband of US woman rescued from Sindhudurg forest leads cops to TN cyber cafe

The cops attending to the woman in the forest

An American woman, Lalita Kai, was chained to a tree and left alone in a jungle along with her documents among other things in the Sindhudurg district by her ex-husband, Satish, after she told him she did not want to live in India as his wife. The police travelled to Tamil Nadu to arrest him, only to find that the address on the woman's Aadhaar card belongs to a cyber cafe.

In her written testimony, Kai stated: "Please bring a cutting blade to break my chain and please bring me some food. I have not eaten any food for 25 days. I am a crime victim. My former husband, Satish, brought me to your forest, tied me with a luggage chain to the tree and left. He did this crime after I told him ‘I am leaving you to return to the United States, I don't want to live in India any more as your wife. You have been beating me every few weeks. I don't want a husband who is beating me'."

American woman being carried out of the forest

The jungle area where the woman was found is under Banda police jurisdiction. Two local cowherds heard her cries and found her chained to the tree. They notified the police. After rescuing her, the Sawantwadi police notified the Banda police for further action.

A source in the Sindhudurg police informed mid-day that a list of items was recovered from the spot. "She had become skinny and was unable to move. The scene was horrific, as it was not a thoroughfare where she was chained. Her life was in danger," said a senior officer in the Sindhudurg police. "We recovered a list of electronic items including a pen drive, iPad, mobile phone with SIM card, charger, laptop bag, a water-soaked notepad, clothes, and a plastic folder containing her visa, passport, Aadhaar card, and three printouts of an email sent to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)," said the police officer. "Some medicines were also recovered from area where she was found," officer said.

Aadhaar address is a cyber cafe

The Sindhudurg police are struggling to resolve the matter as they have no leads on her former husband. They are also trying to determine how Kai was brought to the jungle in Sawantwadi, as the address on her Aadhaar card indicates she lived on Chengam Road in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. "Chengam Road is about 782 kilometres from here (Sindhudurg district). We are still trying to understand how she was brought to this jungle. Since her mental condition is inconsistent we are yet to record her statement, so it is difficult to draw any conclusions at this time. As she is a foreign national, we are taking all precautionary measures," said an officer involved in the investigation.

When contacted, Inspector General (Konkan Range) Sanjay Darade said, "Our investigations are ongoing." Based on Kai's written testimony, the Banda police have filed charges against her former husband, Satish, and travelled to Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu to arrest him. However, they returned empty-handed because the address on her Aadhaar card belonged to a cyber cafe. "Our team asked many local people in Tiruvannamalai if they knew Kai or anyone named ‘Satish,' but we did not receive any positive leads. The incomplete name of her former husband is a hurdle in this case; otherwise, it would have been easier to trace him," said another officer from the Banda police.

Three teams have been formed to solve this case. One team is stationed in Tamil Nadu, while the other two teams are conducting thorough investigations in the Sindhudurg district. Senior Inspector of Banda police station, Vikas Badave, said that the US Embassy has been alerted about the issue. Kai, initially treated at Goa Medical College, was transferred to a hospital in Sindhudurg district on Wednesday and later admitted to Ratnagiri Mental Hospital for advanced treatment, as per the police.

Another officer involved in the investigation stated, "The Aadhaar card and PAN card of this American national were obtained after submitting some documents. We are trying to get details of those documents to find a lead." "Additionally, her American passport was recently renewed, so we are also working on obtaining leads related to that," added the officer.