Indian police find Russian woman and her 2 daughters living in an isolated forest cave
NEW DELHI — Police in India's southern Karnataka state said Wednesday they found a Russian woman and her two young daughters living in isolation in a remote forest cave.
The woman, identified as Nina Kutina, 40, and her daughters, aged six and four, were found by police during a routine patrol to Ramatirtha Hill, a popular tourist site on the coast of Karnataka, on July 9. Police officer Sridhar S.R. said the family had been living in the cave for more than a week.
Police said they were taking steps to repatriate Kutina to Russia for overstaying her visa. She and her children have been moved to a nearby detention facility for foreigners living illegally in India.
Police said in a statement that Kutina spent her time in the cave meditating by candlelight, and that she told investigating officers she was 'interested in staying in the forest and worshiping God.'
Sridhar said Kutina told police that she had worked as a tutor of Russian language in Goa, a coastal tourist state in southern India.
'It is nothing but her love for adventure that brought her here,' said Sridhar.
He said police found pictures of Hindu deities on the inside walls of the cave where Kutina had been living. In a photograph provided by the police, she is seen in front of makeshift curtains made of red saris that covered the entrance to the cave.
The Russian Embassy in New Delhi didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The police statement said Kutina sent a message to her friends after she was found.
'Our peaceful life in the cave has ended — our cave home destroyed,' she wrote in the message, according to the statement.
The Associated Press contacted Kutina over the phone but she declined to comment.
On Tuesday, she told news agency Press Trust of India that she spent her days in the cave by painting, singing, reading books, and living peacefully with her children.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Rescued bear cubs get second chance at life
Two orphaned, bear cub siblings were reunited at a wildlife care facility in Langley after being rescued when their mom was shot and killed in Maple Ridge.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Orphaned bear cubs rescued after mother killed in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Orphaned bear cubs are seen inside a tube in their habitat at Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley. (Critter Care) Two orphaned bear cubs are getting a second chance after their mom was shot and killed in Maple Ridge last month. The cubs, only about six months old, are now being cared for at Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley, where they were recently reunited. 'Brother and sister, they hadn't seen each other for a long time. It was very, very sweet,' said Luke Williams, a supervisor at Critter Care. The cubs became orphaned June 12 after the mama bear attacked a 73-year-old woman as she stepped onto her back deck at night, likely startling the bear. The bear was later shot by police. The cubs took off, and rescue groups spent weeks trying to find them. 'They didn't really stand a chance being left out in the open. They were susceptible to predators,' explained Krissy Whitlock, executive director of Maple Ridge Black Bear Society. The society worked with Critter Care and Halo's Pet Rescue to trap the bears. 'We were getting various calls from all over Maple Ridge about people seeing different bear cubs and we had to try and figure out if they were the right ones or not,' Williams said. The male cub was found the first week of July. The other, just on Sunday. 'They were a bit skinny and very hungry,' Whitlock said. 'When we caught the first one, he was just chowing down on the food we had in the trap for him.' Both Whitlock and Williams said the public's help was crucial in finding the cubs. '(A resident) gave us a tip (the cubs) were eating cherries in a cherry tree right by their house,' said Whitlock. The bears were later found in a ravine area near a residential street in Maple Ridge. 'We're just very grateful to the people of Maple Ridge for helping us get these bears into care,' Williams said. 'It's just a nice thing they're not out there by themselves now.' The cubs joined four other cubs also being cared for at Critter Care. 'They are still on milk feeds. We have to go in more than we would like to,' Williams said, explaining that the bears should have as little contact with humans as possible. He said the bears are doing well. 'They're growing at a rate I can not believe,' Williams said, explaining that the male is now about 35 pounds, or just over 11 kilograms. His sister is about 21 pounds or 9.5 kilograms. Meanwhile, the public is being asked to be proactive in avoiding bear encounters. 'We're just hoping that we can get the message out there for everybody to please keep their trash away and close their garages when they're not using them,' said Whitlock. 'We are continuing to try and educate people in the community to follow the trash bylaws and we're encouraging the City of Maple Ridge to actually proceed with fines and educate people,' she added. Critter Care expects the cubs to be released back into the wild next June, as far away from people as possible. Their time in care is expected to cost the facility about $4,000 each.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Members of Indian diaspora allege pressure to pay extra for consular services
CBC Toronto spoke with numerous people who described being pressured to pay extra charges at BLS International, many of whom felt their ability to visit India or legally stay in Canada depended on it.
