Poonam Pandey's reported death, the news of which was shared in a somber note on the adult film actress' official social media handle on February 2, has left the industry and audience in shock. She was 32 at the time of her passing, brought on by her alleged battle against cervical cancer. Several celebrities have shared condolences, expressing disbelief over the news. The internet, however, appears to be in two minds over the veracity of the seemingly tragic situation.

Is Poonam Pandey's death a hoax?

The demise of a public figure tends to set in motion an unavoidable spectacle of the individual's final moments and last rites. In the case of Poonam Pandey, however, there appears to be no information at all, besides the announcement made on her social media. The situation appears further murky owing to no official statement from her family or any intimation regarding her last rites. Additionally, Poonam had never addressed her battle against cervical cancer.

Speculating over the situation, an internet user has written, "News of the death of Poonam Pandey due to Cervical cancer is so fishy! Nobody can die suddenly due to cancer when you were fit and fine till four days ago." Another social media user added, "I don't know why but I still believe Poonam Pandey is alive and this is a publicity stunt. There is no info or pic available on her death other than that note." Further speculations by another netizen read, "I don’t buy this Poonam Pandey death post be real. It’s already evening and apart from the post, have not seen anything like her family & friends reaching Mumbai for cremation, etc. Also how can cancer be so silent that you die one fine day like it a heart attack. It seems fishy. She looked good for a cancer patient just 4 days ago."

Rahul Vaidya and Vinit Kakkar question Poonam Pandey's death

Singer and reality television contestant Rahul Vaidya recently took to his X handle, to simply ask, "Am I the only one who thinks Poonam Pandey is not dead.. ??!!" Though the singer has not directly dissuaded the news of her passing, he happens to be among the few celebrities, who also publicly expressed distrust over the situation. For the unversed, Poonam Pandey participated in a reality television show, Lock Upp. While Lock Upp host Kangana Ranaut addressed the situation as "catastrophic", Vinit Kakkar, who was a co-contestant on the show alongside Pandey, has entirely dismissed the news altogether.

As per an IANS report, Kakkar said, "I get the feeling this news is fake. I know Poonam, she is a strong lady. I have spent two weeks with her on the show Lock Upp. I know her personality and character... She is a very strong lady...This is fake news and within a couple of days, you will come to know that this is so. Her phone is unavailable, maybe somebody has hacked her Instagram account or her manager's account. Anything can happen. I cannot believe that this news is real. It is hard to believe something as serious as cervical cancer happened to her and there were no symptoms. How could this have happened so suddenly?... Till her family members speak on this, I will not believe the news..."