A "serial bride" who is wanted by two states has tested positive. The woman who used to flee with cash and valuables after marrying to men was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police on May 6 and sent to Muzaffarnagar jail along with six members of her gang operating in parts of UP and Uttarakhand.
The woman was found to be HIV positive after a medical examination at the district hospital. "She is now undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART)," jail superintendent Sitaram Sharma on Tuesday told The Times of India newspaper. Health department officials of both states are now desperately hunting for the "grooms" she'd been with.
The health department in Uttarakhand has confirmed that the "three men she came in physical contact with within the state are now HIV positive". This disclosure came after Udham Singh Nagar's health department, in collaboration with an NGO, conducted tests on these men and initiated their treatment at an ART centre. The process is on for testing other family members of the infected men as well. Three of them are already HIV positive.
According to the UP police, the 20-year-old was part of a gang which specialised in arranging "marriages" with local men. Other members would become the bride's relatives to avoid suspicion. After several cases were reported from parts of UP and Uttarakhand, seven members of the gang, including the woman and her mother, were held and sent to jail in Muzaffarnagar.
"Once in jail, her medical examination was conducted at the district hospital, where her HIV-positive status was confirmed. Ever since her antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment has been going on." During the arrest, the woman had revealed she had "married" five times, including three men from Uttarakhand. Police, however, suspect there are more cases. While efforts are now on in Muzaffarnagar and other regions of UP to trace the "grooms", the health department in Uttarakhand has confirmed that the "three men she came in physical contact with within the state are now HIV positive," said Jail superintendent in Muzaffarnagar, Sitaram Sharma.