
A week after the startling discovery of a Russian woman and her two young daughters living in a cave near Gokarna in Karnataka, new details are emerging about the family’s past and the quiet custody battle that may shape their future.
The woman, identified as 40-year-old Nina Kutina, was found living with her daughters, aged six and four, in a forest cave on Ramatirtha Hill near Gokarna. They had no official place of residence, lived without electricity, and relied on weekly visits to nearby towns for supplies. Authorities removed the family from the site, citing safety concerns, and are now preparing for their deportation to Russia.
But Dror Goldstein, Nina’s former partner and the father of both children, is fighting to stop it.
Speaking to TNM, Dror, a 38-year-old Israeli musician and businessman, who is currently in Bengaluru, said he fears for his children’s well-being if they are deported. “All I want is to see my daughters. I’m not even asking for full custody. They can stay with their mother. I just want to be allowed to meet them, know they are safe, and ensure they’re getting proper education and care.”
Dror said he met Nina in Goa in 2017. “We later lived together for some time in Ukraine before she moved back to Goa because that’s where she wanted to raise the children,” he said. Their first daughter was born in Ukraine, and the second in Goa.
The couple later separated, but Dror, who is based in Israel, says he continued visiting Goa every year to spend time with his daughters. “But Neena didn’t like me meeting them. I felt that she wasn’t providing the proper conditions for their growth. She doesn’t believe in school or formal education. She wants to homeschool them. She also doesn’t earn any income. So for the last few years, I’ve been the one sending them money.”
In 2024, during one of his annual visits, Dror found Nina and the children missing from their Goa residence. He filed a missing person complaint in November 2024, but alleges that the police “did not help much.”
It wasn’t until early July 2025 that a police patrol discovered the trio living in a forest cave in Karnataka. The area is known to be landslide-prone and infested with snakes. Officials moved Nina and the children to a women-and-children welfare shelter, and Indian immigration authorities began deportation proceedings against the mother, citing visa violations.
Legal push to stop deportation
Dror’s legal counsel, Advocate Beena Pillai from NextLegal Services, told TNM that they are exploring all legal avenues to stop the deportation.
“We believe both children may be eligible for Indian citizenship,” she said. “The elder daughter, although born in Ukraine, has lived in India for over five years and meets the domicile criteria. The younger daughter was born in India.”
Advocate Nida, who is also part of the legal team argues that deporting Nina and the children to Russia could compromise the children’s safety and sever them from their father permanently.
“The issue here is not just nationality or overstaying visas. It’s about the rights and welfare of the children who have grown up here. Sending them to Russia cuts off their connection with their father and with the life they’ve known so far,” said Nida.
Nina, who also goes by the name ‘Mohi’, has defended her decision to live in the cave. In media interviews, she claimed the space was peaceful and denied that her children were in danger. “We were not dying. We were living close to nature,” she told reporters.
She said she had been homeschooling the children and teaching them meditation, painting, and swimming. However, authorities deemed the environment unsafe, citing the presence of wild animals and venomous snakes.
Nina has reportedly been overstaying in India since 2017 after her business visa expired. Her daughters do not hold Indian citizenship, though both have spent the majority or all of their lives here.
The family is currently housed in a state-run facility in Tumakuru, Karnataka, under the supervision of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Deportation proceedings are underway, pending coordination with the Russian embassy.
Dror insists his fight is not about hostility with Nina but about ensuring stability for his daughters.
“I don’t want to fight with her. I just want what’s best for the children,” he said. “Let them stay in India if they must—but don’t send them away without considering what they need and who they belong to.”