Vinit Kakar, who competed alongside Poonam Pandey in the first season of Kangana Ranaut’s reality show ‘Lock Upp’, has dismissed the news of the reality TV star’s death as “100 percent fake,” but he added that it was not a publicity stunt, as some sections of the media have claimed.
On Friday morning, Pandey’s official Instagram account posted an announcement of her death from cervical cancer.
In response to the mysterious death’, Kakar stated, “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.”
Kakar stated that he met her at the launch of Kangana Ranaut’s 2022 film ‘Dhaakad’ and more recently at the director’s birthday celebration for ‘Lock Upp’. “This was three or four months ago. We partied together, and I never got the feeling that she had a serious condition. She looked healthy and was in good spirits,” Kakar stated.
The ‘Ziddi Dil Maane Na’ actor continued, “This is fake news, and you will find out within a few days. Her phone is unavailable; perhaps someone has hacked her Instagram account or her manager’s account. Anything might happen. I can’t believe this news is real.”
He said, “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? “I don’t know why or who is doing this. Someone is saying her body is in Pune; others are saying it is in Kanpur. Till her family members speak on this, I will not believe the news.”
He added, “The numbers of her family members are out of reach right now. I will not trust anyone else on this matter.” Kakar concluded on a heartfelt note, saying, “Poonam, wherever you are, please come soon and clear the air about yourself.”
Poonam was declared dead on Thursday night. The team confirmed the news on Friday, February 2.
