'Thug' Bride, Who Defrauded Men Through Fake Marriages, Tests HIV-Positive, 'Groom Hunt' Begins In UP, U'khand

The health departments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the two states where she duped men, were engaged in a massive "groom hunt" to find out the men she was in contact with.

In a startling case, Uttar Pradesh police arrested a "serial bride" for marrying unsuspecting men and disappearing with their valuables. After her arrest, it was revealed through her medical examinations that she was HIV positive. Following the development, the health departments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the two states where she duped men, were engaged in a massive "groom hunt" to find out the men she was in contact with.

She was arrested by UP Police on May 6, along with her six gang members, as per a Times of India report. The gang was operating in parts of UP and Uttarakhand. They all have been remanded to Muzaffarnagar jail.

Upon medical examination at the district hospital, it was confirmed that she is HIV positive. "She is currently undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART)," Sitaram Sharma, the jail superintendent told TOI. 

The revelation sparked concerns among health officials in both states, who are now urgently searching for the men she had been in contact with, the report said. 

Health authorities in Uttarakhand verified that "three men with whom she had physical contact in the state have tested HIV positive".

According to TOI, this information came after the health department of Udham Singh Nagar, in collaboration with an NGO, conducted tests on these individuals and commenced their treatment at an ART center. 

Efforts are also underway to test other family members of the infected men, with three already testing positive for HIV, the report added. 

Police reports indicate that the woman, in her twenties, operated as part of a gang specialising in orchestrating fraudulent marriages with local men, according to TOI. To evade suspicion, the other gang members pose as her relatives. Following several reported cases in UP and Uttarakhand, authorities apprehended seven gang members, including the woman and her mother, and incarcerated them in Muzaffarnagar. 

Sitaram Sharma further told TOI, "Upon her arrest, the woman confesses to having 'married' five times, including three men from Uttarakhand. However, police suspect there may be additional undisclosed cases".