A lie for a good cause?
An Indian model sparked an online storm Saturday after admitting she faked her death on Instagram in a PR effort to raise awareness of cervical cancer.
Poonam Pandey “courageously fought the disease” and died, a statement announced on Friday on her social networks.
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A post shared by Poonam Pandey (@poonampandeyreal)
Local media outlets published obituaries of the 32-year-old, and her Wikipedia page was updated after her apparent death, while Bollywood stars paid tribute to her.
But some began to doubt the young woman's death, particularly in view of images showing her, apparently in good health, on board a boat in Goa, published four days before.
A video confession
Poonam Pandey later admitted to her 1.3 million followers in another video posted on Instagram that her death was a hoax.
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A post shared by Poonam Pandey (@poonampandeyreal)
“Yes, I faked my disappearance, it’s extreme I know.
But suddenly we're all talking about cervical cancer, right?
“, wrote Poonam Pandey.
“I am proud of what the announcement of my death was able to accomplish.”
Many Internet users castigated the young woman for wanting to draw attention to herself at all costs.
“Engaging in a deceptive operation, such as faking your death, under the guise of
raising awareness
is not only unethical but also manipulative,” said one Internet user.
“Shame on you (…) next time, no one will take your real death seriously!
“, wrote another.
The young Indian began her modeling career in 2010 and quickly gained notoriety for her extravagance.
She had promised to strip for the Indian cricket team if they won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, then posted a video where she is seen taking off her clothes at the Wankhede Stadium where the final was played.
She has also appeared in Bollywood films, including an erotic thriller in 2013, “Nasha”.
India accounts for almost a quarter of the world's cervical cancer cases, according to the World Health Organization.
NGOs are campaigning for a national vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus (HPV) infections for young girls, which in other countries has significantly reduced the incidence of cervical cancer.