There has been a custody battle that arose in Karnataka following the discovery by police of Russian citizen Nina Kutina and her two young children, Prema (6) and Ama (4), living in a secluded cave close to Gokarna. The family had allegedly been seeking refuge in the cave for almost three weeks before they were discovered by authorities during a landslide safety inspection in the Ramatirtha hills.
After being discovered on July 11, authorities put the children in government custody at a Tumakuru facility. Their father, Israeli national Dror Goldstein, who splits his time between Goa and overseas, has since met with the authorities requesting joint custody of his daughters.
Goldstein Denied Access to Daughters
Goldstein had come from Bengaluru hoping to meet his daughters, but they denied him entry at the Foreign Detention Centre on account of procedural difficulties.
“I visited Tumkur to see my two daughters. They reside here. I reached here after over 3 hours from Bengaluru,” Goldstein informed ANI.
“I went to the office (Foreign Detention Centre) and they said I have to wait until the manager arrives. When she arrived an hour later, she said that I could not enter. I need a written document from the FRO (Foreigners Registration Office). So, she phoned FRO, and they said that I have to go to the office tomorrow morning to talk about this.”
Father Seeks Joint Custody, Fears Losing Contact
The 38-year-old explained he is in fear of losing touch with his daughters if they are deported to Russia with their mother.
“My dream is to be near my daughters, but I don’t wish to remove them from their mother. And they also are very attached to their mother. My hope is for shared custody. Ensure they receive proper education, are healthy, and happy. I will follow them wherever they are,” he stated.
Goldstein went on to say that Ama was born in India, has lived her life here, and that he has been providing financially for Kutina since their first child’s birth.
Estranged Couple’s Dispute Grows
Goldstein and Kutina first encountered each other in Goa in 2017 and had been living between India and Ukraine before breaking up. He registered a missing person report after losing contact with Kutina when she vanished from Goa with the children. He finally found them at Gokarna’s main beach, but claimed she refused to let him see the children.
“I was able to locate them on a beach in Gokarna, but Kutina did not allow me to be with my children as I no longer live with them,” he said.
Visa Violations and Life in Isolation
Officials disclosed that Kutina’s visa had expired in 2017. While she traveled out of India to Nepal in 2018 on an exit permit, she returned and started residing in the jungles of coastal Karnataka.
Kutina subsequently explained that she had overstayed her visa for “complicated reasons” and complained about media coverage and the government shelter where she and her daughters are currently staying.
