Russian woman, kids found living in cave in Karnataka, to be deported
The woman, identified as Nina Kutina alias Mohi, came to India on a business visa which expired in 2017, police officials said.
It was during a routine patrol on Friday, following a recent landslide that Circle Police Inspector Sridhar and his team spotted clothes hanging outside the cave. The officers made their way through the thick shrubs of Ramatirtha Hill and found Mohi and her two children in the cave.
'Our patrolling team spotted saree and other clothes being hung for drying outside the cave in Ramatirtha Hill. When they went there, they spotted Mohi along with her children,' Uttara Kannada superintendent of police M Narayana said.
During questioning, Nina told the police that she was practising meditation and 'Hindu rituals' inside the cave.
'It was quite surprising how she and her children survived in the woods and what they ate. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened to her or the children during their time in the forest,' he said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the three were using plastic sheets to sleep and eating instant noodles, the official said.
According to him, the woman may have reached the cave — deemed dangerous due to landslides, venomous snakes and other wild animals — from Goa.
Nina refused to share her passport and visa details but later disclosed they were lost in the forest. Police officials recovered them near the cave.
Narayana further said, 'We have arranged her stay in an ashram, run by a Sadhvi. We have initiated the process to take her to Bengaluru from Gokarna and begin the deportation process.' With the help of a local NGO, the Russian Embassy was contacted and formalities were set in motion to deport her.
'Our department informed Russian embassy and would hand them over to Bengaluru FRRO on Monday,' the SP said.
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