In-laws inject woman with HIV-infected syringe for failing to meet dowry demands

Groom's family was not happy with the 'gifts' they received and soon allegedly started pestering their daughter-in-law for Scorpio SUV car and additional Rs 25 lakh.

A man from Uttar Pradesh alleged that his daughter was forcibly injected with an HIV-infected needle by her in-laws for not being able to meet their steep dowry demands.

A case has been registered in a local court regarding the incident.

According to a report by India Today, Sonal Saini and Abhishek also known as Sachin tied the knot in February 2023.

Hailing from Haridwar, Abhishek's family received a car along with Rs 15 lakh in cash as dowry at the wedding, the report said.

But, the groom's family was not happy with the "gifts" they received and soon started pestering their daughter-in-law for Scorpio SUV car and additional Rs 25 lakh.

Sonal's family put their foot down and stated they would not give into their demands. This led to the in-laws driving their daughter-in-law out of the house, it said.

However, the Panchayat in the Jaswawala village of Haridwar took the matter into their own hands and tried to resolve the issue.

Their intervention proved to be fruitful as Sonal came back to stay with her in-laws and husband but was still allegedly subjected to mental and physical torture.

Things took a turn for the worse when Sonal's health started deteriorating. When her parents took her to the doctor to get tested, the results showed that she was infected with HIV.

What came as even greater shock was that her husband Abhishek, when tested, was found to be HIV negative.

The woman's family alleged that failure to give in to their dowry demands led her in-laws to conspire to kill their daughter-in-law by giving her HIV-infected injections.

Though they complained to the police, no action was taken against the accused, the report said.

Thus, the family approached a local court who ordered Gangoh Kotwali police to register a case against Abhishek alias Sachin, his parents and other family members under several serious sections including dowry harassment, assault, attempt to murder, among others.