Serial conman EXPOSED: Man arrested for marrying 15 women across India and blackmailing victims

Biranchi Narayan Nath (43) from Angul, Odisha, has been arrested for marrying and blackmailing over a dozen women across India. He created fake profiles on matrimonial sites, assumed multiple identities, and recorded compromising videos to extort money and gold from his victims. 

Bhubaneswar: Over a month after the arrest of 34-year-old Satyajit Managobind Samal from Jajpur for deceiving 49 prospective brides, the state crime branch has apprehended another individual, Biranchi Narayan Nath (43) from Chhendipada in Angul district. Nath is accused of marrying over a dozen women across various states and blackmailing them using objectionable videos he recorded.

Nath allegedly targeted unmarried women, widows, and divorcees in Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi. Many of his victims were employed in different sectors.

Operating under multiple aliases, Nath created fake profiles on various matrimonial sites under the guise of seeking a 'second marriage'. He assumed different identities, sometimes claiming to be a railway officer, an Income Tax officer, or even a customs and central excise officer. A senior crime branch officer noted that Nath, who holds a postgraduate degree in political science, used these fabricated personas to deceive his victims.

The case came to light when a woman from Cuttack filed a complaint against Nath last week. After her husband died in a road accident in 2022, she had posted her profile on a matrimonial site in October 2023, hoping to remarry. Nath approached her under the name Pravakar Srivastav, claiming to be a TTE (travelling ticket examiner) from Visakhapatnam, and stated that he had lost his wife and mother. On October 7, 2023, he visited her home and expressed his intention to marry. Despite the victim's family requesting time to consider, Nath persistently contacted her, emotionally manipulating her.

In truth, Nath's family—his parents, wife, and two children—reside in Angul. During video calls, he secretly recorded her in compromising situations. Nath took the victim on trips outside Odisha and lived with her for five months after their marriage. He used the recorded videos to sexually and financially exploit her, allegedly extorting approximately Rs 5 lakh and 32 grams of gold. Police investigation revealed that Nath had defrauded numerous other women in several states. His phone records indicated that around 15 women had fallen victim to his schemes. Nath was also sought by police in Berhampur, Angul, Balasore, Rourkela, Dhenkanal, and Bhubaneswar.