India
oi-Swastika Sruti
The viral video about an incident where a Russian woman travels to Bihar to meet her Indian boyfriend was proven to be misleading. The story became very popular in social media sites as a cross-border love story between an Indian boy named Rahul Yadav of Bhagalpur and a Russian woman Julie.
A viral video falsely depicted a romance between a Russian woman and an Indian man in Bihar; investigations revealed the subjects were Namit Kumar, a Bihar-based videographer, and Andrea Connolly, a British national, who met during a social welfare program in Purnia.
However, upon investigation, it has been revealed that the people in the video and the reason for their meeting have nothing to do with the claims posted in viral posts.
From the investigation conducted regarding the issue, the man featured in the video is none other than Namit Kumar, who is a resident of Garhbanaili village in Purnia district of Bihar. The woman is identified to be Andrea Connolly, a British national, and not a Russian woman by the name of Julie.
Viral posts claimed that Andrea traveled from Britain to Rajapur village in Bhagalpur to meet her boyfriend after six months of being separated. There are also those who claim that the couple planned to marry in November with the blessings of their families.
Although these posts got a lot of attention, the true story was actually associated with a social welfare program in Purnia.
A Russian girl followed her love to India after Rahul Yadav from Bihar returned home from Russia. Despite learning that he was in hiding, she insisted on staying with him, and their families have reportedly agreed to get them married in November. ❤️ https://t.co/bcCOl3QJi8
— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) October 13, 2026
How Did Namit Kumar And Andrea Connolly Meet?
Namit Kumar, who works in videography, said he had met Andrea Connolly while covering a social programme in Ward Number 3 of the Kasba Municipal Council area in Purnia district.
The programme was organised to support tribal women and help them become financially independent. As part of the initiative, goats were distributed to women to support their livelihoods.
Namit had reached the venue with his camera team to record the event. During the programme, he made a video featuring Andrea. The footage was later uploaded to his Instagram account.
What began as an ordinary video recorded during a social welfare event was subsequently circulated by other social media pages with an entirely different narrative. The people in the footage were given different identities, and their meeting was presented as a romantic relationship between an Indian man and a Russian woman.
Fake Love Story Added To Attract Social Media Views
As the video gained attention, several claims began circulating online. Posts described the woman as Julie, a Russian citizen who had travelled to India to reunite with her boyfriend, Rahul Yadav, in Bhagalpur.
The viral narrative also included details about the man’s modest home, a romantic gesture involving a rose, and plans for the couple to marry in November with their families’ approval.
These details helped turn a short video into a widely discussed love story. However, according to the account shared by Namit Kumar, the video was recorded during an official NGO programme and had no connection to the romantic story being circulated online.
Namit explained the circumstances behind the footage during an interaction with Aaj Tak, clarifying that he had been present at the event for professional videography work.
