‘Came Karnataka for meditation’: Russian woman with expired visa found living in Gokarna cave with 2 daughters; says she lived in Goa since 2017 | Bengaluru News

GOKARNA: A Russian woman and her two minor daughters were escorted to safety by the police from a cave near Ramateertha Falls in Gokarna forest on Friday. Police said 40-year-old Nina Kutina’s visa, which was found in the cave, had expired in 2017, while her daughters, aged 6 and 4 years, were born in India.The presence of a woman and two minors in such a remote area left the police stumped. Upon interrogation, the woman revealed she had come to India on a tourist visa in 2017 and had been residing in Goa ever since, before entering Karnataka four days ago. Came to K’taka for meditation: Russian woman A team led by inspector Sridhar SR from Gokarna police station was on patrol to ensure tourist safety in Ramateertha Hill Friday evening when they noticed some suspicious movements in a cave, prompting the team to take a closer look.The cops discovered, much to their dismay, that there was a Russian woman named Nina Kutina living there along with her two daughters, six-year-old Prema and four-year-old Ama. Nina claimed she had come to Karnataka for meditation. Police found an idol of Lord Rama in the cave, which Nina said she worshipped.However, the location that Nina said she chose for her meditation has raised many an eyebrow. Ramateertha Hill is a dangerous and landslide-prone area, inhabited by snakes and other poisonous creatures.Trio temporarily moved to women’s rehabilitation centre While the woman and her daughters were temporarily moved to a women’s rehabilitation centre, police and forest department staff conducted a search at the cave and found Nina’s passport and visa, with the latter bearing April 17, 2017, as expiry date.Police have contacted the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Bengaluru to arrange for the repatriation of the woman and her kids to Russia.