VARANASI: A woman lodged an FIR with Manduadih police station in Varanasi against her Mau-based husband and in-laws alleging they arranged the marriage in 2024 without disclosing that the groom was HIV positive. When she raised an objection on becoming aware of it after marriage, she was thrashed by them and even tortured for dowry.After a case was lodged under sections 74 (assaulting woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 77 (watching, capturing or transmitting/disseminating private images or acts of a woman without her consent), 85 (cruelty by husband or his relatives), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 271 (unlawfully or negligently doing an act to spread a life-threatening infection or disease), 318(4) (cheating) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of BNS and also a section of the Dowry Prohibition Act on Oct 3, an investigation into this case was started, Manduadih police station in-charge Digambar Upadhyaya said on Tuesday.The 25-year-old woman mentioned in her complaint that after detailed talks between her father and the family of the man and checking the boy’s family background and horoscope, their wedding was finalised in 2024. She claimed that her father had spent Rs 20 lakh on giving gifts, dowry and hosting the wedding ceremony and related rituals.A few months after the wedding, the man’s health began to deteriorate and there was no improvement despite treatment. When the woman tried to know the reason, it became clear that he had already been seeking treatment for HIV infection since before marriage. She alleged that after the truth was exposed, her in-laws started assaulting and threatening her not to disclose the truth to her family.She alleged that her in-laws pressurised her father to pay Rs 5 lakh as dowry and even after Rs 2 lakh was paid, her father-in-law tried to rape her. She alleged that her objectionable videos were also made by her in-laws who threatened to make them viral and kill her. She said she came back to her parental home in Varanasi. She said when her in-laws continued threatening her and her parents, she gave the complaint to Manduadih police on Sept 10, but when no FIR was lodged, she approached senior govt officials, after which her case was registered by police on Oct 3.
