An American woman who was found chained to a tree in a remote Indian forest had tied herself to the tree trunk, according to Indian police.

Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was rescued by authorities in Maharashtra state earlier this month in a state of severe hunger and dehydration.

She was initially unable to speak, but then told police in a handwritten note that she had been tied to the tree following a domestic dispute with her husband.

Ms Kayi, who was reduced to a skeleton after her ordeal, said she was tied to the tree trunk for 40 days.

But Indian police and a doctor who treated Ms Kayi now claim that she made up the story about the argument and tied herself up.

They say she brought three locks and iron chains into the forest in Sindhudurg district. A pair of keys used to lock the chain were found just a few meters away from where she was staying, they said.

A police officer added that Ms Kayi now admits that she is not married and that she was suffering from hallucinations when she first gave her statement.

A police statement also said Ms Kayi was desperate because her visa had expired and she was running out of money.

“This was not an isolated case,” it said. “The woman had chained herself to a tree in Tamil Nadu, where she lived before moving to Goa.”

Ms Kayi is being held in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. Police said Ms Kayi is unable to control her actions due to her mental illness.

Woman still weak, but improving

After she was found on July 7 by a herder who had led his animals into the forest to graze, officials doubted her claim that she had gone without food and water for 40 days.

They said it was unlikely that anyone could survive that long without food and water.

Dr Sanghamitra Phule, the director of the hospital where Ms Kayi is being treated, told The Telegraph: “Her condition is improving and she is oriented. She has also made a statement to the police that she has a mental disorder and hallucinations are part of it. She was hallucinating.”

“She herself said that she was being treated for her illness. We had to take her medical history, for example, how long she had been suffering from it. She speaks very well and is fully conscious. She understands what is happening around her.

“Physically she is still weak, but she is getting her food. She is now eating solid food.”

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