The Karnataka Police on Saturday (July 19) decided to deport Russian national Nina Kutina (40) and her two young daughters, Prema (6) and Ama (4), who were found in a cave in Gokarna.
She was taken to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru, where officials verified her documents, including her passport and visa. The FRRO then contacted the Russian Consulate in Chennai and initiated the formal deportation process.
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According to FRRO sources, legal procedures regarding the deportation of her minor daughters are also being examined. Nina has refused to send the children to their father, an Israeli national named Dror Goldstein, with whom she was previously in a live-in relationship. However, under Indian law, she can only be deported to her country of origin — Russia.
She is currently housed at the Foreigners Detention Centre (FDC) near Dibbur, Tumakuru. Once a confirmation is received from the Russian Embassy, both the woman and her daughters will be repatriated, confirmed Uttara Kannada Additional Superintendent of Police G. Krishnamurthy.
Incident uncovered during monsoon safety patrol
The incident came to light during a safety inspection of Ramateertha Hill in Gokarna, where part of the hill had collapsed in the previous monsoon. With heavy rains continuing this year, Gokarna Police sent a patrol team to assess landslide risks. During this patrol, officers discovered Nina and her two children living inside a cave on the hill.
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She had arrived from Goa to Gokarna and had been staying in the cave for about a week. The authorities immediately asked her to vacate the cave due to serious safety risks. According to a local Vinayak Shastri, her presence came to light just in time, preventing potential danger.
A lonely and risky life in forest
Kutina had entered India on a business visa and made her way to Gokarna via Goa. She was found on July 11, living in a remote cave on Ramateertha Hill in Kumta along with her two young daughters. The family had been staying there for nearly two weeks, using the forest cave as their shelter, without any basic amenities.
Local sources said the cave was in a ‘dangerous zone’, especially during the monsoon, with risks of landslides, snakes, and poisonous insects. Despite these dangers, she had chosen the cave for solitude and to avoid hotels or rentals, which require ID proof and formal documentation.
Denied meeting with ex-partner
On July 17, Goldstein visited the detention centre in Tumakuru to meet the children and offer them gifts. However, officials reportedly denied him permission to meet them. He could only wave to the children through a window and was asked to leave.
Goldstein had said, “The children should be with their mother, but they also deserve a safe environment. They have not gone to school, even at age six. If they are sent back to Russia, I may never see them again. I will try again to get permission to meet them.”