Police in Karnataka are investigating the circumstances behind a Russian woman, Nina Kutina, and her two young daughters, aged six and five, who were found living in a cave in the Gokarna forest near the tourist destination of Ramteertha Hills. The trio was discovered on July 9 during a routine patrol in an area popular with tourists but considered hazardous due to snakes, wild animals, and landslides, especially during the rainy season.
“Nature Gives Good Health”: Kutina Defends Her Cave Life
Following their removal from the cave, Kutina defended her lifestyle in video interviews, saying, “We were very happy living in the cave and that nature gives good health.”
She insisted that her daughters were comfortable and healthy, stating, "We were not dying, and I did not bring my children, my daughters, to die in jungle. They were very happy, they swam in the waterfall, they had a very good place for sleeping, a lot of lessons in art making, we made from clay, we painted, we ate good, I was cooking very good and tasty food.”
Kutina rejected suggestions that living in the forest exposed her children to danger, noting, “For all the time we lived there, yes we saw a few snakes,” but adding that encountering snakes is common in rural India.
Police Account: From Discovery to Detention
According to local police, the discovery happened when patrol officers noticed brightly coloured clothes hanging outside a cave on a steep hill. Approaching the entrance, curtained off with saris, they encountered a blonde child running out, followed by Nina Kutina and her other daughter. Their possessions were minimal—plastic mats, instant noodles, a few groceries, and clothes. Despite the lack of amenities, officers said, “The woman and her children appeared quite comfortable in the place,” but it took time to persuade her to leave, stressing, “It was dangerous to live there”.
After removal, Kutina and her daughters were taken for a medical check-up and declared fit. They are now in a detention facility for foreigners near Bengaluru, and authorities say they will be deported soon. Kutina voiced her unhappiness with this: “It is like jail. We cannot go outside. Here it's very dirty, and there's not enough food”.
Who is Nina Kutina?
Kutina, 40, told authorities and media she was born in Russia but has not lived there for 15 years. She claims to have travelled widely, living in places including Costa Rica, Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, and Nepal. She told Indian media she has four children: her eldest son died in Goa last year in a road accident, her second son is 11 and reportedly still in Russia, and her two youngest daughters were with her in the cave.
Kutina said she had travelled to at least 20 countries since originally leaving Russia, with at least “four countries since leaving India in 2018.” Authorities say she entered India on a business visa valid from October 2016 to April 2017.
After overstaying, she was issued an exit permit and left for Nepal in April 2018. It's unclear when she returned to India, but some reports suggest since February 2020. “We really love India,” Kutina told PTI. She acknowledged her visa expired a few months ago, adding: “We don't have our visa, valid visa, our visa finished,” and explained the lapse was due to grief over her son’s death.
The Mystery Deepens: How Long Were They in the Cave?
Details on how long the family lived in the cave, or even how they sustained themselves, remain murky. Kutina said they had been there for about a week. Police confirmed she bought groceries in a nearby village shortly before discovery, and that she claimed to have lived in a cave in Goa before arriving in Karnataka. Allegedly, her youngest daughter was born in a Goan cave.
Videos showed the children in traditional Indian clothes, smiling and seemingly content. Kutina said, “We woke up with the sun, swam in rivers, and lived in nature. I cooked on a fire or gas cylinder depending on the season, and got groceries from a nearby village. We painted, sang songs, read books, and lived peacefully”.
Relations and Repatriation
Authorities have contacted the Russian consulate regarding repatriation and have also located Dror Goldstein, the girls’ father, an Israeli businessman currently in India. Goldstein told Indian media that Kutina left Goa with the children without informing him, and that he had filed a missing complaint. He expressed his desire for joint custody and to prevent the girls from being sent to Russia.
Motivations for Living in the Cave
After police found an idol of Panduranga Vittala (a Hindu god) in the cave, speculation arose that Kutina was in the forest for meditation or spiritual reasons, but she outright refuted this in interviews: "It is not about spiritually. We just like nature because it gives us health... it's very big health, it's not like you live in a home." She emphasized her experience with living in the wilderness and said, “It is nothing but her love for adventure that brought her here”.
What Next for Nina Kutina and Her Daughters?
Indian immigration authorities expect to soon deport Kutina and her daughters for visa violations. As of now, they remain in the detention facility outside Bengaluru while administrative formalities for their removal proceed.
The mystery endures as to how—after so many years and so many countries—Kutina and her two young daughters came to live on the fringes of one of India’s most famous forests. For now, their unconventional, self-reliant life has been put on pause, awaiting resolution through India’s foreigner repatriation process.
