A HIV-positive man, who might have consciously passed on the deadly virus to more than 200 sexual partners, has been arrested in Italy. The virus is known to cause AIDS.
A spokesman for police in Ancona, a city on Italy’s eastern Adriatic coast, told dpa on Thursday that 35-year-old Claudio Pinti had been arrested two days earlier.
Despite having been diagnosed “for at least 11 years,’’ he did not take precautions, neither did he warn his partners about his condition, the police said.
When officers apprehended him, Pinti declared himself a “negationist’’ on the existence of HIV, police said in a written statement.
In a press conference on Wednesday, police said Pinti was a regular user of dating websites and might have infected more than 200 people.
He was caught after one of his most recent partners checked herself into hospital after feeling ill and discovered she had contracted the virus.
Authorities urged potential victims to contact police, and in a breach of usual practice, released a picture of the suspect so people could recognise him.
The police spokesman said several calls have come in and are being verified.
“People are very reluctant to come forward because of the shame,’’ he said.
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