Karnataka: Ex-husband seeks shared custody after Russian woman, kids found living in Gokarna cave
Bengaluru, Jul 16 (PTI): Days after Russian woman Nina Kutina was taken into custody for living in a cave deep inside the forest in Karnataka’s Gokarna with her two daughters, her ex-husband, an Israeli citizen, is demanding shared custody of their daughters, saying he wants to be a father to them.
"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," said Goldstein to PTI Videos on Wednesday.
Dror Goldstein (38), who said he lives for nearly six months a year in Goa, said he had been living separately from Kutina (40) for the last couple of years and that he "lost touch" with them when she took the daughters and left Goa a few months ago.
"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," added Goldstein.
He said he met Kutina in Goa around 2017 and they had been together, travelling between India and Ukraine, until they split.
He said he had left India this time around in March, and because of the war, he couldn’t come before this.
"When I heard the news, I booked a flight immediately to Bengaluru to try and meet them," said Goldstein.
He said Kutina wants to raise the children alone.
"She told me in the beginning itself that if I don’t live in the same house, I should not be in touch with them at all," claimed Goldstein.
When they left Goa a few months ago, Goldstein said he filed a missing report with the police.
"But now, I want to push for shared custody," he added.
Goldstein said he has been supporting Kutina since she gave birth to his first daughter.
"I give her money every month and then come here to India to spend six months with them, as I have other obligations for the other six months. Also, the visa is only for six months," he added.
Goldstein said his younger daughter was born in India and that Kutina has been living here (in India) for nearly five years.
"As I understand, she (Ama) is a citizen of India and should not be deported," he said.
The girls, Prema (6) and Ama (4), were found with Kutina in a secluded cave in the Ramatirtha hills of Kumta taluk on July 11.
They were found living inside a cave in Gokarna during a routine inspection by the police after a landslide in the area.
Police had said that all three had lived in isolation for nearly three weeks before they were found.
In an earlier interview with PTI, Kutina said that her life in the cave was not as it was being portrayed in the media.
She also complained about the place where she and her daughters were taken after being moved from the cave.
"We are now kept in an uncomfortable place. It’s dirty, there’s no privacy, and we get only plain rice to eat. Many of our belongings were taken, including the ashes of my son, who passed away nine months ago," she told PTI Videos.
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
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nightclub fire: Goa court remands Luthra brothers in police custody for five days
Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.
The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.
ALSO READ: Dharmasthala mass burial case: Accused Chinnayya expected to be released on Wednesday
“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.
“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.
A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.
The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.
After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.
The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.
Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.
After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.
ALSO READ: Woman threatens to end life as police official refuses to accept love proposal, FIR registered
The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.
