An Indian model has sparked a wave of criticism on social media after admitting that she fabricated news of her death on Instagram as part of a campaign to raise awareness about cervical cancer.
Poonam Pandey's social media pages announced on Friday that the model had died after "bravely battling the illness." Local media reported the alleged death of the 32-year-old model, her Wikipedia page was updated with the news, and Bollywood stars sent messages praising her.
However, some questioned the young woman's death, especially in light of photos published just four days earlier showing Pandey looking healthy on a boat in the Indian state of Goa.
Poonam Pandey later confessed to her 1.3 million followers in another Instagram video that her death was just a hoax. She stated, "Yes, I fabricated my death. I know I went too far with that. But suddenly we are all talking about cervical cancer, aren't we?"
She also added, "I am proud of what my death announcement has achieved." Many social media users criticized the young model, accusing her of seeking attention at any cost.
