India Russian woman found living in cave with daughters

According to Nina Kutina, life for her and her two daughters inside their jungle cave had been peaceful. Deep in the forests of Gokarna, a coastal town in southern India, they had woken "up with the sun, swam in rivers and lived in nature".

- Hannah Ellis-Petersen

"I cooked on a fire or gas cylinder, depending on the season, and got groceries from a nearby village. We painted, sang songs, read books and lived peacefully," Kutina said, according to Indian media reports.

Then the police arrived.

The story of how the 40-year-old Russian woman and her two daughters, aged six and four, have been living in a cave in the forest in the state of Karnataka has gripped Indians across the country.

The family were discovered by police on 9 July during a patrol of the hilly forest area, when officers spied a curtain of red saris hung up in the trees. Moving closer, they realised it was covering the entrance of a cave.

A statue of a Hindu god was visible, as were some clothes. Then a blond child emerged from the entrance. After her, the police patrol were astonished to find Kutina, who was asleep with another child by her side.