by They are now desperately hunting for grooms shed been with Three of them are already HIV positiveAccording to police the woman in her 20s was part of a criminal gang which specialised in arranging marriages with local men Other members would become the brides relatives to avoid suspicion After several cases were reported from parts of UP, Uttarakhand seven members of the gang including the woman, her mother were arrested, sent to a jail in MuzaffarnagarJail superintendent in Muzaffarnagar Sitaram Sharma said on Tuesday Once in jail her medical examination was conducted at the district hospital where her HIVpositive status was confirmed Ever since her antiretroviral therapy ART treatment has been going onDuring the arrest the woman revealed she had married five times including to three men from UttarakhandPolice however suspect there are more casesEfforts are now on in Muzaffarnagar, other regions of UP to trace the grooms While efforts are now on in Muzaffarnagar, 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 Nagars health department in collaboration with an NGO conducted tests on these men, initiated their treatment at an ART centre The process is on for testing other family members of the infected men as wellThe woman, her mother belong to US Nagar district of Uttarakhand Chief medical officersaid Three people who had contact with her have tested positive as well, are receiving ART treatment A source at health department said We are counselling her to reveal more names if any so that we can identify the victims, test them for disease, bring them around for treatment
Published in The Times of India (Online) (26.06.2024)