Bhubaneswar: The Cyber Crime Unit of the Odisha CID, Crime Branch on Thursday arrested one Biranchi Narayan Nath of Chhendipada in Angul district for allegedly defrauding and exploiting several middle-aged women who were looking for second marriages.
According to an official press release, accused Nath had been running a well-organized scam using fake identities on a matrimonial website.
Nath, who used aliases such as Manas Ratha, Pravakar Srivastav, and others, created profiles under the tagline “Second Marriage,” presenting himself as a government official in various departments such as Railways, Income Tax, and Customs & Excise. His targets were middle-aged women, particularly those who were unmarried, divorced, separated, or widowed, seeking companionship and security.
Once in contact with the women, Nath would emotionally manipulate them with promises of lifelong support and employment opportunities. He even performed fake marriage rituals in temples, living with his victims without ever taking them to his own home. The accused secretly recorded intimate moments, using these videos and photos to later blackmail his victims, extracting money, gold, and other valuables under threats of public humiliation.
In a recent case, a woman from Cuttack who had lost her husband in 2022 fell victim to Nath’s fraudulent scheme. Posing as a Railway Ticket Inspector named Pravakar Srivastav, he emotionally trapped the widow and forced her into a physical relationship, blackmailing her with private videos. Over the course of five months, Nath extracted Rs 5 lakh and 32 grams of gold from her while physically abusing her.
After discovering Nath’s involvement with other women, the victim filed a complaint, leading to his arrest by the Cyber Crime Unit.
Based on her complaint, CID, Crime Branch Cybercrime police station has registered a case against Nath on Thursday under sections 323/ 384/ 385/ 419/ 420/ 465/ 467/ 468/ 469 IPC, R/W Sec 66(E), 67, and 67(A) of the IT Act.
During the investigation, authorities recovered significant digital evidence, including private photographs, videos, and fake IDs.
Nath’s criminal activities extended beyond Odisha, with cases registered in states like Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi. He has multiple cases against him across police stations in Odisha, including Berhampur, Rourkela, Dhenkanal, and Bhubaneswar.
The Crime Branch has appealed to other potential victims to come forward and is continuing to analyze digital evidence to uncover more cases linked to the accused. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are urging women to exercise caution while using online matrimonial platforms.
