Ten days ago, a 50-year-old American woman was discovered chained to a tree in an Indian forest.
The woman was found by a local cow herder. "I heard a woman screaming loudly," the herder told authorities. "When I went there, I saw that one of her legs was tied to a tree. She was screaming like an animal."
The herder contacted the local police, who cut the chain and took her to the hospital. Unable to speak at the time, she used a notepad to describe how her husband had "chained her and left her in the forest to die without food or water." She said she had been deprived of food and water for 40 days – a detail that immediately raised suspicions, since no one can live without water for that long.
But this week, police officials told the BBC that she later admitted to fabricating the story about her husband. In fact, she revealed she wasn't even married. She told the police that she hallucinated the initial account due to her mental state at the time.
She said she panicked when her visa expired and she found herself low on funds. In a desperate move, she purchased locks and chains and tied herself to the tree.
Currently, she is receiving treatment at a psychiatric facility. The head of the hospital said: "Her condition is improving. She eats, walks, and also exercises. We are treating her and providing nutrients that her body was lacking."
Authorities have contacted her family in the United States, and they are making plans to bring her home safely.
Previously: Stubborn tree stump exacts revenge on would-be uprooter
