A 49-year-old American woman was found shackled in a deep forest in Sindhudurg district on Saturday. Both her legs were tied together with a chain, the other end of which was wrapped around a nearby tree and locked. Police sources reported that while her hands were free, she was too weak to unlock the chain herself. Officers had to cut down the tree to free her and then carry her on a stretcher for several miles to reach an ambulance.

The photocopy of her American passport and her original Aadhaar card, a crucial Indian document, helped police establish her identity. Lalita Kai is an acclaimed belly dancer who came to India about 10 years ago to learn yoga but decided to stay. “The officers couldn’t understand what she was saying, but the documents confirmed that she is an American national,” said a local source.