- By Chetna Shree
- Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:18 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A custody dispute has begun after a Russian woman, Nina Kutina, was found living in a remote cave in the forests of Karnataka's Gokarna region with two daughters. Days after she was located by the local police, her former partner, Dror Goldstein, an Israeli national, stepped forward demanding shared custody of the daughters. He also revealed that he lost contact with Kutina after she left Goa with the children.
"My wish is to be close to my two daughters. I demand shared custody. I want to be able to meet them, to be close to them and to be a father. That's all,” Goldstein told PTI. Expressing his concern over the potential separation from his daughters, he said, “I just want to be able to see my daughters a few times a week and take care of them, too. My concern is that if they go to Russia now, it will get tougher to keep in touch with them. So, I wish they could stay in India.”
VIDEO | Karnataka: A Russian woman and her two children were found living in Gokarna cave. Here's what Israeli citizen, Dror Goldstein, father of the two girls, said, demanding their custody.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 16, 2025
"My wish is to be close to my two daughters. I demand shared custody. I want to be… pic.twitter.com/vrudA9kkpL
What Led To The Custody Battle?
The relationship between the Russian woman and Goldstein began in Goa in 2017, and over the years, they moved between Goa and Ukraine before separating. He said that his last departure from India was in March, and the ongoing war made it difficult for him to return to India. When he heard the news, he immediately booked a flight to Bengaluru to meet them.
The couple entirely lost contact with each other when Kutina left Goa with the children. “I managed to find them on a beach in Gokarna, but Kutina refused to let me be with my children as I don’t live with them anymore,” he added. According to Goldstein, Kutina previously insisted on raising the daughters on her own. He further said that he has financially supported Kutina since the birth of their first child, and now he wants to pursue legal avenues for joint custody of the daughters.
Earlier, Kutina, 40, was found living in a remote cave in the forest of Karnataka’s Gokarna region atop Ramatirtha Hills with two daughters, Prema, 6 and Ama, 4. The local police located them on July 11 during a patrol session.