KARNATAKA — A Russian woman who overstayed her visa by eight years was discovered living with her two daughters in a cave deep in the forests of southern India, according to police in Karnataka state.
Nina Kutina, 40, and her two daughters, ages six and four, were found on July 9 during a routine patrol on Ramatirtha Hill a forested, landslide-prone area popular with tourists near the coastal town of Ankola.
Local police say Kutina arrived in India on a business visa in April 2017, which expired later that year. She left the country briefly for Nepal in 2018 but returned and stayed, undetected, ever since.
According to Superintendent of Police M. Narayana, Kutina provided limited information about her identity and refused to give full details about the children’s travel documents or place of birth. Authorities have not confirmed whether the children were born in India or Russia.
Kutina claimed she chose to raise her daughters in nature and insisted they were not in danger. Speaking to Indian media outlet ANI, she said, “We have big experience to stay in nature, in jungle. We were not dying. I did not bring my daughters to die in jungle.” She added, “They did not feel bad. They were very happy.”
Authorities say Kutina told them she and her daughters spent their days swimming in waterfalls, painting, and making pottery. However, police emphasized that the conditions were unsafe, especially for children.
“Going into caves is dangerous, and with two children to live there for a week or more is astonishing,” Narayana said. “She does not want to leave as she loves the nature, but we have to follow procedure.”
The case has raised concerns about security oversight, with Narayana calling her ability to live in India for nearly eight years without documentation “a matter of national concern.”
Kutina is now in custody at a detention center for foreigners in violation of immigration law. Officials say they are working with the Russian government to facilitate her repatriation. The children, who do not possess passports, will also be returned to Russia.
Kutina also revealed to police that she had a son who died in Goa. No additional details have been released about the child or circumstances of his death.
The Russian embassy has not yet commented on the case.
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