Russian Woman, Two Minor Daughters Found Living in Forest Cave in K'taka, Escorted Out

A Russian woman and her two minor daughters living in complete isolation inside a remote cave, nestled in the serene yet treacherous Ramatirtha hills, near Gokarna in Karnataka, were rescued by the state police.

- BELLIE THOMAS

The police identified the woman as 40-year-old Nina Kutina, alias Mohi, who had journeyed from Russia to India on a business visa and found her way to the sacred coastal town of Gokarna via Goa. She was drawn deeply by Indian spiritual traditions.

The rescue operation was carried out a few days ago by the Gokarna police during a routine patrol focused on tourist safety in the region. Kutina, and her daughters Premanand (6) and Ama (4) were discovered living in a cave at a remote, landslide-prone spot of the forest by Circle Inspector Sridhar SR and his team. The police escorted all the three down the hill and relocated them to an ashram in Bankikodla village, under the care of 80-year-old spiritual leader Swami Yogaratna Saraswati.