A 40-year-old Russian woman, Nina Kutina, was found living in a remote cave near Gokarna in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. According to the police, Kutina had fallen in love with India’s forests and spiritual practices, and is said to be devastated at the prospect of returning to her home country.

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.

Living inside Forest

Both of Kutina’s daughters were born in India during her years in hiding. She has refused to speak about the children’s father, and authorities are investigating whether she received any medical assistance during childbirth.

The police discovered Kutina during a routine patrol of the Ram Tirth Hills, an area known to be landslide-prone and potentially hazardous. The patrol was initially aimed at checking for adventure enthusiasts trespassing in the forest.

Officers grew suspicious after noticing plastic covers, photographs of deities, Russian books, and household items near the cave entrance. Upon entering, they found a child playing while Kutina and her other daughter were asleep inside.

Interestingly, when police warned Kutina about the danger of snakes in the area, she reportedly responded that the snakes were her “friends” and meant no harm unless provoked.

“She claimed that during their visits to a nearby waterfall for bathing, snakes would slither around them without showing any aggression,” a police official said.