A Russian woman who made global headlines after being found living in a cave in India with her two young daughters has flown back to her country, an official told the BBC.
Nina Kutina, 40, and her daughters - aged six and five - were rescued on 9 July by policemen on a routine patrol in a forest in the southern state of Karnataka.
The woman, who did not have valid documents to stay in India, had been sent to a foreigners' detention centre along with her daughters.
Last week, the Karnataka high court asked the federal government to issue documents to Ms. Kutina and her daughters to return home.
They left for Russia on 28 September, an official at the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO), who wanted to stay anonymous, told BBC Hindi. Ms. Kutina's minor son from another relationship, who was later found living in Goa state, also went with them.
The high court had been hearing a petition filed by Dror Shlomo Goldstein, an Israeli businessman living in Goa, who claimed he was the father of the two minor girls. He had asked the court to stop the children from being sent back to Russia and appealed for their custody.
Mr. Goldstein hasn't commented on the court order yet. He has the option to appeal against it, but it's not clear whether a judgment in his favour could compel the children to be sent back to India.
The order stated that despite Mr. Goldstein's claims, the mum and the children had been rather inexplicably found living in an isolated cave.
The court indicated that Mr. Goldstein could not explain why they had been living there until authorities took measures for their rehabilitation.
The police team that discovered them was performing a routine patrol when they noticed colorful clothes hung near a cave entrance, which was draped with saris. Upon approaching, they encountered a "little blonde girl" running out and subsequently found Ms. Kutina and her other child inside.
Inside the cave, the family had minimal possessions including plastic mats, clothes, and food items, and the cave showed signs of leaks. Ms. Kutina claimed that they had been living there for about a week and mentioned that she had previously resided in a cave in Goa.
She defended her unconventional lifestyle, stating that she and her children were happy living in nature and that nature gives good health. However, police deemed the situation dangerous due to potential wildlife threats and the risk of landslides.
After medical examinations, Ms. Kutina and her daughters were placed in detention. Mr. Goldstein's lawyer argued that deportation would not serve the children's best interests. Yet, it was clarified that the issue of their exit from India was tied to Ms. Kutina's own request to return home, communicated to the Russian embassy.
Court documents revealed that the embassy granted the family a travel window from September 26 to October 9.
