Russian Woman With Expired Business Visa Found Living In Karnataka's Cave With 2 Daughters

Last Updated:July 12, 2025, 16:07 IST

A 40-year-old Russian woman and her two daughters were rescued from a dangerous cave in Karnataka. They had been living in isolation for two weeks seeking spiritual solitude.

Russian Woman Found Living In Cave

A 40-year-old Russian woman and her two daughters were resucued from a remote and dangerous cave atop the Ramatirtha Hill in Karnataka’s Gokarna. The local police found the three living in an makeshift dwelling in the forest. As per the reports, they have been living in isolation for about two weeks. The police, during routine patrol, found them and rescued them at around 5 pm on July 9.

The Russian woman, identified as Nina Kutina, was in the cave that is located in a landslide prone zone with her 6-years-old daughter Prema and 4-year-old Ama.

As per a report by NDTV, Kutina came Gokarna from Goa to seek spiritual solitude. She told the police that she chose to live in forest as she wanted to engage in meditation and prayer. Further she also added that she was seeking some pause from the urban chaos.

Meanwhile, the police expressed concern over the unsafe location.

Notably, Ramatirtha Hill, where the cave is located, experienced a major landslide in July 2024 and is home to dangerous wildlife, including venomous snakes, making it a hazardous area.

After counseling the woman and informing her of the risks, the police successfully rescued the family and escorted them down the hill. At her request, the woman was relocated to an ashram in Bankikodla village of Kumta taluk, run by 80-year-old female monk Swami Yogaratna Saraswati.

During the regular questioning by the police, welfare officers, and the head of the ashram, she eventually told that her documents like visa and passport may have been lost in the forest cave.

A joint search operation conducted by the Gokarna Police and Forest Department officials led to the recovery of her passport and visa. Upon examination, it was found that Nina had originally entered India on a Business Visa valid until April 17, 2017. An Exit Permit had been issued by the FRRO in Panaji, Goa, on April 19, 2018. Records showed that she had subsequently traveled to Nepal and re-entered India on September 8, 2018, thereby overstaying her permitted duration.

Location :

Karnataka, India, India

First Published:

News india Russian Woman With Expired Business Visa Found Living In Karnataka's Cave With 2 Daughters