The Russian woman, who was found in a cave in Karnataka, along with her two daughters claimed that she gave birth to one of the babies while staying at a cave in Goa while officials said they have contacted an Israeli businessman, who the woman said is the father of the kids.
Nina Kutina, 40, and her two daughters aged six and four years, were found in a cave on July 9 near Gokarna in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district. Officials said her visa had expired in 2017. Nina is presently at a detention centre in Bengaluru.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Nina said she had lost her son a long time ago, “and did not come to Gokarna for spirituality but (because) nature gives good health”.
An official of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) told The Indian Express that they have been able to track down the father of the children, an Israeli citizen, who is in India on a business visa.
On Tuesday, FRRO officials held a meeting with the Israeli man to check if he could sponsor the tickets of Nina and the children. An official said, “The Israeli man, who is in his 40s, met Nina a long time ago and both fell in love. So, he is the father of the children who were with Nina. He is in the clothing business. We have been able to meet him.”
A source said that initially Nina was unwilling to discuss or divulge details about the children’s father, but with the help of counsellors, she opened up and gave details of an Israeli national with whom she said she was in a relationship.
The FRRO officials have contacted the Russian consulate and said it would take almost a month to complete all formalities and deport the woman and her children. “She has another child back in Russia and we have informed the Consul General of Russia in Chennai,” an official said.
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Sources said that Nina is said to have met the Israeli man in 2017 or 2018 and he had returned to his country. “She claims she delivered the baby on her own while staying at a cave in Goa. Though it is hard to believe, we are not in a state to deny it either,” said an officer of Gokarna police station.
Outside a hospital in Bengaluru, Kutina told ANI that “she was happy in the jungle with her children and for the first time her kids saw the hospital and doctors”.
“We have a lot of experience staying in nature, in the jungle. We were not dying and I did not bring my daughters so that they die here. They were very happy, swimming in the waterfall, a very good place for sleeping. They learnt a lot of lessons with art-making using clay and painting. We used to cook and eat tasty food…” she said.
“I have traveled to at least 20 countries and lived in different forests because we love nature,” she said.
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“… the cave was not inside a thick forest and it was also not small. It had a window type (opening) from where we could see the ocean. What more do you want?” she said, adding that she has travelled to Costa Rica, Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, Nepal and Ukraine. In India, she said, she stayed in Rishikesh for some time before moving to Gokarna.
She claimed that contrary to what the police are saying, her visa validity ended a “short time ago” and not in 2017. “After 2017, we already were in four countries before returning to India,” she said.