Nina Kutina, a 40-year-old Russian woman recently discovered living in a remote cave near Gokarna in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, defended her lifestyle choice, stating that her family loves nature and has lived in forests across nearly 20 countries. According to her, there was no danger to her or her children while living in the cave.
“We have a lot of experience staying in nature, and we were not dying. I did not bring my children to die in the jungle… They were very happy,” she told national media.
The unusual case of the Russian woman has made headlines across the country, leaving many stunned at how a family could live in near-total isolation with two young children.
“The cave was not in a big forest, far away from people, where we couldn’t buy food… It was very close to the village. It was big and beautiful… We used to swim in the waterfall. My children were not dying from hunger,” Nina added.
Kutina and her children were found during a routine inspection after a landslide was reported in the area.
“Our pet-patrolling team spotted sarees and other clothes hung out to dry near a cave in the Ram Tirth Hills. When they went to investigate, they found Nina along with her children,” said Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police M. Narayanan.
Even the police were taken aback by how the family managed to survive in such conditions. According to officers, the family slept on plastic sheets and survived on instant food.
Police Finds Russian Woman
Sub-Inspector Sridhar S.R. and his team from the Gokarna Police discovered Kutina along with her two daughters—aged six and four—inside a cave in the Ram Tirth Hills of Kumta Taluk on Friday. The police confirmed that Kutina will be transported to Bengaluru on Sunday, along with her children, to initiate deportation proceedings. Her visa expired in 2017.
According to national media reports, Kutina first arrived in India in 2016 on a business visa. Initially drawn to the tourism and restaurant industry in Goa and Gokarna, she gradually developed a deep interest in India’s forests and spiritual life.
“…When her visa expired on April 17, 2017, instead of leaving the country, she stayed on even after receiving an exit permit in 2018. She briefly traveled to Nepal but soon returned to India, vanishing into the coastal forests of Karnataka. She preferred to meditate and perform pooja for the gods in the forest, avoiding hotels to live undetected,” Sub-Inspector Sridhar told the media.