On May 6, Uttar Pradesh police arrested a ‘serial bride’ who had been deceiving unsuspecting men into marriage and then absconding with their cash and valuables. They also apprehended six members of her gang, which operated in parts of UP and Uttarakhand. Following her arrest, she underwent a medical examination at the district hospital, revealing that she was HIV positive. On Tuesday, jail superintendent Sitaram Sharma confirmed that she is now undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) while incarcerated in Muzaffarnagar jail.

The revelation has left health department officials from both states in a dilemma as they now urgently seek the ‘grooms’ she had been with.

The health department in Uttarakhand has confirmed that three men she had physical contact with in the state are now HIV positive. This disclosure followed tests conducted by Udham Singh Nagar’s health department, in collaboration with an NGO, and the initiation of their treatment at an ART centre. The authorities are currently testing other family members of the infected men, three of whom have already tested positive for HIV.

According to police, the woman in her 20s was part of a gang that specialized in orchestrating fraudulent marriages with local men. Other members of the gang would pose as relatives of the bride to evade suspicion. Authorities across UP and Uttarakhand apprehended seven gang members, including the woman and her mother, following multiple reported cases. They subsequently incarcerated them in Muzaffarnagar jail.

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On Tuesday, Muzaffarnagar jail superintendent Sitaram Sharma stated that after her incarceration, the woman underwent a medical examination at the district hospital, confirming her HIV-positive status. Subsequently, she has been undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART). At the time of her arrest, the woman disclosed that she had “married” five times, including three men from Uttarakhand. Police, however, suspect there may be additional cases.

Efforts are currently underway in Muzaffarnagar and other regions of UP to trace the “grooms”. The health department in Uttarakhand confirmed that three men she had physical contact with in the state are now HIV positive. This followed tests by Udham Singh Nagar’s health department, in collaboration with an NGO, and their treatment initiation at an ART center. Authorities are also in the process of testing other family members of the infected men.

The woman and her mother, who are from US Nagar district of Uttarakhand, have been identified. According to Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, the Chief Medical Officer of US Nagar, three people who had contact with her have also tested positive and are currently undergoing ART treatment.

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