Poonam Pandey fake death announcement: Agency behind ‘Cervical Cancer awareness’ apologises

Poonam Pandey. Photo courtesy: Instagram/Poonam Pandey

#PoonamPandey, #FakeDeath, #CervicalCancer

Mumbai/IBNS-CMEDIA: The agency, which was behind orchestrating the fake death announcement of model-actress Poonam Pandey to raise Cervical Cancer awareness, has apologised following a backlash.

Schbang, the agency, has apologised after several netizens lashed out at Poonam for using such “unethical” means to spread awareness.

It has put up an Instagram post which reads, “Yes, we were involved in the initiative for Poonam Pandey to spread awareness about Cervical Cancer in collaboration with Hauterfly.

“To start off, we would like to extend a heartfelt apology – especially towards those who have been triggered as a result of having faced/having a loved one face the hardships of any kind of Cancer.”

“Our actions were driven by a singular mission – to elevate awareness about Cervical Cancer. In 2022, India registered 123,907 Cervical Cancer cases and 77,348 deaths.

“After Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer is the second-most frequent malignancy affecting middle aged women in India,” it added.

Poonam last Friday sent a shockwave after her Instagram post claimed she had died of Cervical Cancer raising concerns over the type of disease.

But on Saturday, Poonam revealed she was alive and faked death to raise awareness over Cervical Cancer.

In an Instagram post, Poonam wrote, “I understand that the recent news of my supposed demise due to Cervical Cancer has taken a minute to digest and I appreciate the warmth and concern that the world has extended in the last 24 hours.

“This unexpected turn of events, albeit startling, serves a greater purpose. While I do understand how you would have perceived this in bad taste, I also implore you to consider the greater cause.”

“Before passing judgement on the act, I urge you to recognise the alarming concern burdening women worldwide. The sheer lack of awareness surrounding this issue was the mere reason that compelled me to take this unconventional step,” she added.

Poonam, who began her career as a model, came to the spotlight after promising to strip if India wins the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

In 2012, she posed nude after Kolkata Knight Riders won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

Some of her films are Nasha, Adalat, The Journey of Karma.

She has featured in several television shows like Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 4, Lock Upp.