A Russian woman and her two children were rescued from a remote cave nestled in the Ramatirtha hills of Kumta taluk in Uttara Kannada district, a police officer said on Saturday. Police identified the woman as 40-year-old Nina Kutina alias Mohi, who had come to India on a business visa and found her way to the sacred coastal town of Gokarna via Goa, drawn deeply by the Hinduism and Indian spiritual traditions.

It was also found that her visa had expired in 2017. How long she has been living in India remains unclear, he added. With the help of a local NGO, the Russian Embassy was contacted and formalities were made to deport her.

Her children, Preya, 6, and Ama, 4, accompanied her to the cave, where they had been living in seclusion for nearly two weeks. The small family had made a humble home inside the natural cave. There, Mohi kept a Rudra idol and spent her days in ‘Puja’ and meditation, seeking spiritual peace amidst nature. However, her prayers were not answered and she was discovered.