Russian woman with expired visa found living in Karnataka cave with kids, rescued

A 40-year-old Russian woman, identified as Nina Kutina alias Mohi, and her two young children were rescued from a remote cave in the Ramatirtha hills of Kumta taluk, Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, after living in near-complete isolation for nearly two weeks.

The rescue was carried out by local police during a routine patrol on Friday, officials confirmed on Saturday.

Mohi, who had come to India on a business visa several years ago, had made her way from Goa to the spiritual coastal town of Gokarna, known for its deep religious and meditative roots.

Drawn to Hinduism and Indian spiritual traditions, she chose to retreat into the forested hills of Gokarna with her two children, Preya (6) and Ama (4).

The family had been residing inside a natural cave, surrounded by dense forest and steep terrain. Mohi had turned the cave into a spiritual haven, installing a Rudra idol and spending her days performing puja and meditation.

She reportedly lived off the land, though police are still investigating how she and her children managed food and water during their time in the wilderness.

It was during a post-landslide patrol that Circle Inspector Sridhar and his team noticed sarees and clothes hanging outside the cave. Intrigued and cautious, they made their way through the thick underbrush and discovered the woman and her children living in isolation.

Speaking to PTI, Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police M Narayana said, “It was surprising to find a woman with two small children living in such seclusion. Luckily, they were unharmed and in reasonably good health.”

Authorities later discovered that Mohi’s visa had expired back in 2017, and the exact duration of her stay in India remains uncertain. Police suspect she may have entered Karnataka from Goa before settling in Gokarna’s forested region.

After the rescue, police arranged temporary accommodation for Mohi and her children at an ashram run by a Sadhvi in Gokarna.

With the assistance of a local NGO, the Russian Embassy has been contacted and official deportation procedures have been initiated. The family is expected to be moved to Bengaluru as part of the legal process.