Mum with daughters aged 6 & 4, found in remote cave where they lived for 7 YEARS after travelling to India to ‘meditate'
Russian national Nina Kutina, 40, and her two tots had been in total isolation for nearly two weeks - before police made the bizarre discovery while patrolling a forest.
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Kutina, who is also nicknamed Mohi, is understood to have come to India on a business visa which expired in 2017, and then re-entered the country in 2018.
The woman claimed she had subsequently travelled from Goa to Gokarna to seek spiritual solitude.
Authorities made the shocking discovery while patrolling Ramatirtha Hill in the beachside town of Gokarna, Karnataka, on July 9.
Officers were combing through thick forest in a landslide-prone area when they spotted movement near a rocky cave.
To their disbelief, they found Kutina living there with her daughters Prema, six, and Ama, four.
They were staying together in a rough shelter built inside the cave.
Locals said the family had been spotted in the area before but no one knew they were living in the wild.
Inspector Sridhar SR and his team from Gokarna Police Station were carrying out safety checks for tourists when they stumbled across the makeshift home at around 5pm.
A police spokesperson said: "Our patrolling team spotted saree and other clothes being hung for drying outside the cave in Ramatirtha Hill.
"When they went there, they spotted Mohi along with her children."
Kutina explained to cops she had been practising meditation and 'Hindu rituals' inside the cave.
Police added: "It was quite surprising how she and her children survived in the woods and what they ate.
"Thankfully, nothing untoward happened to her or the children during their time in the forest."
After spotting the homeless family on Ramatirtha Hill, officers warned Kutina of the serious risks of staying in the area.
She was eventually persuaded to leave and was safely escorted down the hill along with her children shortly afterwards.
The trio were relocated to an ashram run by an 80-year-old female monk, Swami Yogaratna Saraswati, in the village of Bankikodla in Kumta taluk, at the mum's request.
The cave the family were found in was nestled inside dense forests and rugged terrain - making their lifestyle all the more shocking.
Kutina is understood to have decorated the cave's interior, setting up a Rudra idol and transforming the space into a spiritual sanctuary.
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The Russian national also reportedly dedicated her days to performing puja and meditation.
The trio survived using plastic sheets to sleep and ate instant noodles frequently, cops said.
The mum first told police she had lost her passport and visa documents, but they later found them near the cave.
Although her intentions were "spiritual", authorities were left deeply concerned about the safety of her two daughters.
Ramatirtha Hill, where the cave is located, previously experienced a major landslide in July 2024.
It is also home to dangerous wildlife, including venomous snakes - making it a treacherous environment.
The spiritual coastal town of Gokarna is known for its deep religious and meditative roots.
After examining Kutina's passport and visa documents, it was revealed that she had originally entered India on a business visa valid until April 17, 2017.
She was issued an exit permit on April 19, 2018, and records showed she had subsequently exited to Nepal.
But the woman re-entered India on September 8, 2018, overstaying her permitted duration, and stayed there since.
Officials are now looking into how exactly the family came to be living in the wild in the first place.
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