“Yes, I faked my disappearance, that much I know. But suddenly we’re all talking about cervical cancer, right? ” In a PR effort aimed at raising awareness about cervical cancer, an Indian model caused an online storm on Saturday after she admitted to faking her death on Instagram. Poonam Pandey “bravely fought the disease” and died, a statement on her social network released on Friday. did
Local media outlets published the 32-year-old’s obituary, and her Wikipedia page was updated after her apparent death, while Bollywood stars paid tribute to her. But some began to doubt the girl’s death, especially after seeing images released four days ago showing her apparently in good health on a boat in Goa.
“You should be ashamed”
Poonam Pandey later admitted that her death was a hoax in another video posted on Instagram to her 1.3 million followers. “I’m proud of what announcing my death was able to accomplish,” she explains.
Many internet users condemned the girl for wanting to draw attention to herself at all costs. “Engaging in hoax activities like faking your death under the guise of raising awareness is not only unethical but also manipulative,” said an internet user. “Next time shame on you, no one will take your real death seriously! “, wrote another.
A quarter of the world’s cervical cancer cases
The young Indian started her modeling career in 2010 and quickly became infamous for her extravagance. She promised to strip for the Indian cricket team if they won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, then posted a video in which she was seen stripping at the Wankhede Stadium where the final was played.
According to the World Health Organization, India accounts for nearly a quarter of the world’s cervical cancer cases. The NGO is campaigning for a national vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection for young girls, which has significantly reduced the incidence of cervical cancer in other countries.
