In a chilling case that has shocked Odisha, a 32-year-old son of a serving CRPF Inspector has been arrested for allegedly blackmailing a 27-year-old nurse into a notary marriage, subjecting her to daily physical and mental abuse, pressuring her to change her religion, and forcibly terminating her pregnancy.
The accused, Raghuvir Nayak of Ratingia village under J. Udaygiri police station, was living inside the CRPF campus in Bhubaneswar when Bharatpur police picked him up on Sunday and forwarded him to court.
According to police, the woman — a native of Kandhamal district working as a nurse in the state capital — first met Raghuvir and his mother in 2018 while visiting her village. Their acquaintance quickly moved online through Facebook, where they exchanged numbers. Raghuvir soon proposed marriage and resorted to extreme emotional blackmail: “If you don’t marry me, I will kill you and then commit suicide.” Terrified, the young woman agreed to a notary marriage, which he convinced her was fully legal and binding.
After the marriage, the couple began living together. Raghuvir took her to his family home and introduced her as his wife. But their different religions triggered immediate conflict. His family allegedly put intense pressure on her to convert, while Raghuvir himself reportedly beat her almost daily. The physical and mental torture escalated until she discovered she was pregnant.
Instead of joy, the pregnancy brought horror. Police say Raghuvir forcibly administered medicine to terminate the pregnancy, causing a miscarriage.
Matters worsened when the woman allegedly caught Raghuvir bringing another woman home. A fresh quarrel erupted. The couple reached a compromise at Bharatpur police station, after which she returned to her parental home.
Recently, when she visited Raghuvir’s house, her mother-in-law allegedly abused and assaulted her again. Unable to bear the continued harassment, the nurse filed a formal complaint at Bharatpur police station. Officers registered a case and arrested Raghuvir promptly.
Speaking to reporters, police confirmed the investigation is ongoing and more details may emerge.
The case has once again highlighted the dangers of coercive relationships, the misuse of emotional blackmail in the name of love, and the vulnerabilities faced by women in interfaith marriages in rural and semi-urban Odisha.
