‘Serial bride’ tests HIV+ve, 2 states mount ‘groom’ hunt

MEERUT/UDHAM SINGH NAGAR: A "serial bride" who would decamp with cash and valuables after "marriage" to unsuspecting men was arrested by UP police on May 6 and sent to Muzaffarnagar jail along with six members of her gang operating in parts of UP and Uttarakhand.
Subsequently upon medical examination at the district hospital, she was found to be HIV positive."She is now undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART)," jail superintendent Sitaram Sharma on Tuesday said.
The revelation has put health department officials of both the states in a fix. They are now desperately hunting for "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 police, the woman (in her 20s) 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.
Jail superintendent in Muzaffarnagar, Sitaram Sharma, said on Tuesday, "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". 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.
The woman and her mother belong to US Nagar district of Uttarakhand. Chief medical officer of US Nagar, Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, said, "Three people who had contact with her have tested positive as well and are receiving ART treatment..."