Viral Claim About Russian Woman Coming To Bihar To Marry Bhagalpur Man Is False: NDTV Fact Check

A viral video claiming that a Russian woman travelled to Bihar to marry a man from Bhagalpur has been widely circulated on social media and reported by several media platforms. Local content creators have also posted dozens of videos about the alleged love story, drawing millions of views. However, the story is entirely false. NDTV investigated the viral video and found that the woman and the man featured in it had been misrepresented. 

The viral video claims that a man named Rahul from Bhagalpur travelled to Russia for work, where he fell in love with a woman named Julie. According to the posts, Julie has now travelled to Bihar to marry Rahul, with the couple reportedly planning their wedding in November.

The video shows a foreign woman walking around the courtyard of a modest house. The narrative of a man from a poor family falling in love with a foreign woman appears to have helped the story gain traction online. Some also claimed that the couple planned to marry in November 2026 and that their families had agreed to the union.

However, NDTV's investigation found that the claims accompanying the video were false.
 

 What Did NDTV's Investigation Reveal?

NDTV's fact-check found that the man in the video is not from Bhagalpur but from Purnia district in Bihar. His name is Namit, not Rahul, as claimed in the viral posts. The woman featured in the video is also not Julie. She has been identified as Andrea Connolly, who is associated with a British non-governmental organisation (NGO) called Shivia.

The organisation works with a local group called Saathi in Purnia, Bihar. The two organisations collaborate on initiatives aimed at helping women become self-employed.

Abhishek Kumar Singh, coordinator of Saathi, told NDTV that a team of six women visited Purnia on October 7 and 8 to understand the work being carried out on the ground. Andrea was part of this team.

During their visit, the women held meetings with local women, who welcomed them with a bouquet of roses. Andrea also visited some of their homes. Photographs from these interactions were uploaded to the organisation's social media accounts.

As the visitors moved around the village, a large crowd gathered to see them. Namit was among the locals who had assembled there. Someone recorded a video of the gathering, which was subsequently circulated online with a fabricated story about an alleged romance and an upcoming wedding.

The bouquet seen in Andrea's hands in the viral video was the same one presented to her by the local women during the welcome.

Legal Action Being Considered Over Viral Video

Abhishek said the women were guests of the organisation and criticised the circulation of the video with a false narrative. He added that Saathi was considering legal action in the matter.

He also expressed disappointment with organisations for publishing the claims without verifying them. According to him, both large and small media outlets reported the story without conducting a proper fact-check, harming not only the organisations involved but also India's image.

What Happened To The Man In The Video?

NDTV also attempted to speak to Namit, who was not at home when the team visited. His mobile phone was switched off.

Local residents told NDTV that Namit had never travelled abroad. According to them, he went to the neighbouring village after learning that a group of foreign women had arrived there.

It remains unclear who recorded and circulated the video with the false claims or whether Namit himself had any role in making it viral.

However, if legal proceedings are initiated in the case, Namit could also face questions about his involvement.