A few days ago, a Russian woman and her two daughters were rescued from a cave located in the Ramteerth Hill area of Gokarna, Karnataka. The woman was identified as Nina Kutina, who had been living in isolation in the cave with her 6- and 4-year-old daughters for quite some time, cut off from society. Now, a surprising new angle has emerged, her past romantic relationship with Israeli national Dror Goldstein, shedding light on a personal story tangled with emotional and legal complexities. Goldstein, a 38-year-old Israeli musician and entrepreneur, is currently in Bengaluru.
A Love Story That Began in Goa
Nina Kutina met Dror Goldstein in 2017 at Arambol Beach in Goa. Their conversations grew into a romantic relationship. At that time, Nina had two sons from a previous relationship, but despite that, the two started living together.
Attempt to Move to Israel, But Deported to Russia
Goldstein says that in May 2018, he made plans to take Nina and her sons to Israel. However, due to issues with their documents, all three were deported to Russia instead. Later, they moved to Ukraine. Around this time, their relationship began to deteriorate. According to Goldstein, Nina’s behavior changed and she would only contact him when she needed money.
Birth of Daughters and Growing Distance
In June 2018, the Russian national informed Goldstein via email that she was pregnant and expecting a daughter. Following this, Goldstein traveled to Ukraine in March 2019 and met Nina and their newborn. Though they stayed in touch, he later returned to Israel due to personal reasons. In 2020, Nina moved back to Goa, where she became pregnant again and gave birth to her second daughter in May 2020. Goldstein claims that throughout this time, he continued to offer financial support. However, Nina allegedly became verbally abusive and exploitative. He alleges that over time, she started taking advantage of him financially and treated him with increasing hostility. “Because of her behavior, I gradually stopped contacting her. I felt like I was being used only for money,” he said.
Difficulties Meeting His Daughters, Allegations of Brainwashing
Goldstein’s most serious allegation is that Nina did not allow him to meet his daughters. He said that whenever he visited India, Nina would deliberately hide the children from him. He also accused her of brainwashing the daughters against him. Whenever he tried to arrange a meeting at a hotel, Nina would become aggressive and prevent the children from seeing him.
He also claimed that Nina showed no seriousness about their education. According to him, she had no belief in formal schooling or structured learning, and every time the topic was brought up, she would dismiss the conversation.
Son’s Death and Nina’s Disappearance
In October 2024, Russian citizen’s elder son from her previous relationship died in a road accident. Even during this difficult time, Goldstein says he offered financial help and arranged for her to stay in a hotel in Goa. However, she still did not allow him to meet their daughters. When he returned to India from Nepal in November, he found that Nina and the girls had vanished.
Nina Was Hiding in Gokarna
Later, Goldstein discovered that Nina had moved with the children to Gokarna in Karnataka and was living in complete seclusion, without informing anyone. Despite repeated calls and attempts to reach out, he received no response. Eventually, on December 14, 2024, he filed a missing person report with the police.
Goldstein’s Plea
Goldstein said, “My only concern is for my daughters. They are not being sent to school, nor allowed to socialize with other children. I want to support them both emotionally and financially, but Nina is stopping me.” He emphasized that his missing person report was filed solely to know the location and wellbeing of his daughters.
Currently, the police are investigating the entire case. What began as a mysterious story about a woman and her daughters living in a cave has now evolved into a complex legal and emotional battle involving custody, parental rights, and psychological wellbeing.
