‘I cannot go inside’: Husband of Russian woman rescued from Gokarna cave

TUMAKUR: Days after a Russian woman, Nina Kutina, along with her two children, were found in the Rameshwaram cave in Gokarna, her husband came to meet them in the Tumakuru detention camp on Thursday.

According to Nina Kutina’s husband, Dror, he had come to Tumakuru after a three-hour journey from Bengaluru. He said that the authorities didn’t allow him to meet his family and asked him to get a written paper signed from the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office).

“I came to Tumakuru to meet my two daughters, they are staying here. I arrived after more than three hours from Bengaluru and I came to the office and they told me to wait until the manager comes. When she came after an hour she told that I cannot go inside. I need to have a written paper from the FRRO. She called the FRRO and they told me that I need to come tomorrow morning to the office and discuss,” Dror said.

A Russian-origin woman and her two young daughters were rescued from a dangerous cave in the forested Ramatirtha Hill area of Gokarna on July 9, after police discovered them living there in hazardous conditions.

Authorities later confirmed that the woman, identified as Nina Kutina (40), had overstayed her visa by over eight years.

#WATCH | Russian national Nina Kutina was found living with her two daughters in a remote cave near Gokarna in Karnataka.

In Tumakuru, Karnataka, her partner, Dror says, “I came to Tumkur to meet my two daughters…My wish is to be close to my daughters but I don’t want to take… pic.twitter.com/kPqdRkrY8X

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2025

According to Gokarna police, on July 9, at around 05:00 PM, while patrolling Ramatirtha Hill to check for the safety of tourists, the police inspectors and staff of Gokarna police station gathered and checked the cave located within the forest area on the hill.

The cave was checked, and it was found that the Russian-origin woman was living there with her two young daughters, Kumari Prema (6 years, 7 months) and Kumari Ama (4 years, old).

When questioned, the foreigner stated that she had come from Goa with her children, as she was interested in staying in the forest for “worshipping God and meditating.”

Meanwhile, Nina Kutina and her two children were rescued by Gokarna Police and processed by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru before being sent back to a rescue centre in Tumakuru.

Kutina, who had been living with her daughters in a cave near Gokarna, defended her lifestyle and rejected the claims made about her situation.

“You give already a lot of lying information. We have big experience to stay in natural, in jungle, and we were not dying, and I did not bring my daughters to die in jungle. They did not feel bad, they were very happy, they swam in waterfall, they lived, had very good place for sleeping, a lot of lessons with art making, we made from clay, we painted, we ate good, I was cooking with gas, very good and tasty food,” she said. (ANI)