In a rare incident in the Rama Tirta Hills of Kumta Taluk, Karnataka, India, police discovered a 40-year-old Russian woman, Nina Kutina, and her two daughters, aged 6 and 4, living in a cave during a routine safety patrol. The family had been residing in the cave for at least two months, using plastic sheets as beds, surviving on instant noodles, and relying on natural light.
Kutina, who entered India on a business visa in 2016 that expired in 2017, had been living off-grid to avoid detection as an illegal immigrant. After a brief exit to Nepal in 2018, she returned to India and continued her secluded lifestyle, drawn to Hindu spiritual practices, meditation, and yoga. She transformed the cave into a spiritual sanctuary with a Shiva statue and performed daily rituals with her daughters, who were born in India during her time in hiding.
Despite the dangerous, landslide-prone, and snake-infested environment, Kutina claimed the snakes were harmless and called them "friends." Local residents were unaware of their prolonged stay in the wild. The police, concerned for the children’s safety and their illegal status, persuaded Kutina to leave the cave, relocating them to an ashram run by an 80-year-old female monk.
The daughters, experiencing electric lights and proper beds for the first time, were visibly excited. Kutina, devastated by the prospect of deportation, expressed her love for India’s forests and meditation, lamenting the loss of her "warm and comfortable" cave life.
The police are investigating her childbirth circumstances and the identity of the children’s father, whom she refuses to discuss. Although the daughters appear healthy and engaged in activities like painting and yoga, authorities deem their lifestyle unsafe and are proceeding with deportation to Russia, as the family lacks valid documents.
The case has raised questions about potential complexities, including the father’s involvement, pending further investigation.
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