Actor Mahekk Chahal was rushed to a Mumbai hospital recently and was even put on ventilator support, we have learnt. Chahal, who is recuperating currently, is still in the hospital to avoid a “relapse”, as she confirms the news with us. “I got pneumonia,” the actor states, adding, “I was hospitalized recently and put on ventilator support. I felt a lot of pain in my chest on January 2 and collapsed. I couldn’t breathe. I am still hospitalized; it’s been eight days. I am in the normal ward now. Both my lungs were infected.”

The 43-year-old was terrified with the episode: “I was super scared, because I’d never experienced breathlessness. Every time I coughed, it was so painful.”

Only Chahal’s “close friends, family and co-actors” from her TV show knew about her condition. “I needed to rest, so I didn’t want to be in touch with anyone or reply to thousand messages,” the Nirdosh (2018) actor shares.

She blames her constant travel to cities with extreme cold, including Delhi, for her condition. “I thought I had a bad cold. I didn’t realize that it was so severe. I want to get 100% fit and then get discharged,” Chahal ends.

Mahekk Chahal became a victim of online payment fraud on July 12 and lost Rs. 49,000. She rushed to Bandra Police Station to lodge a complaint, and the cyber wing of the police station registered an FIR against the accused.

Mahekk says, “While checking the internet regarding a courier service to send a parcel to Gurugram, I came across a number and called the concerned person.”

Mahekk says, “He claimed to be affiliated with a popular courier service company. He said that he would assist me and asked me to visit a website and complete the registration by transferring Rs. 10 on the website. He asked me about my mode of payment, and I told him that I was using Google Pay. However, when I tried to make the payment via Google Pay, it didn’t go through. That’s when he shared a link for payment and asked me to punch in my UPI details. He then sent me an encrypted message and told me to forward it to a number within 20 seconds. After failing the first time, he sent me a similar message and again told me to forward it within 20 seconds, which I did.”

She adds, “To my horror, money was deducted from my account and I was alerted about the transaction through a message. I called up at my bank at once and froze all my accounts and cards.”

Talking about the police complaint, she says, “The cyber wing of the police station acted on the case at once and was very helpful. They immediately filed an FIR and initiated the investigation. I am quite shaken by the incident. It’s scary that people can be swindled online in less than five minutes. It’s almost impossible to trace these imposters because they discard their SIM cards soon after committing fraud. It is done so smoothly that one does not even get time to verify anything. I had to cancel my shoot for Naagin and deal with this incident the entire day.”

Mumbai: A 43-year-old Norwegian model and actress of Indian origin has become the latest victim of the courier fraud. She lost Rs. 49,000 from her foreign bank account after the fraudster made her pay Rs. 10 through a website to complete the registration process for sending a parcel.

Bandra police said the fraudster stole bank details of the actress, Mahekk Chahal, while she entered them on the fake courier company’s website for booking a parcel for Gurugram on Tuesday.

Police have filed an FIR against an unknown person for impersonation and cheating for stealing Chahal’s UPI transaction ID number to siphon money from her bank account.

“The cyber team has sought details of the internet protocol (IP) address and the creator of the weblink to track the accused,” said a police officer.

Chahal told TOI that she came across the website while searching for the contact number of an Indian logistics company that provides courier delivery services.

Actor Mahekk Chahal is ready to take the plunge, however, she is waiting for the right guy. “I’m so ready to fall in love, but ladke milte hi nahi,” quips Chahal.

Despite being a successful, independent woman, Chahal says she finds it difficult to find the right man. Ask her the reason and she explains, “I travel so much, it’s very difficult to be with me. Most of the guys look for domesticated girls. It’s difficult for me to live a lifestyle like that. Meri kismat mein nahi likha hoga for now.”

Chahal has a list of traits she is looking for in her potential partner. She shares, “I need a humble, simple and funny guy - like me. I’m not looking for anybody, but if it happens, it happens.”

In the times of modern age love stories, Chahal admits she is open to arranged marriages. “I’m open to an arranged marriage. All the dating apps are new forms of arranged marriage. (So) I’m open to anything, bas shaadi ho jaaye (laughs),” she says.

While the actor is confident of herself, she opens up about her insecurities too. “Everybody is insecure,” she says. adding, “When I wake up in the morning and my face doesn’t look good, I wonder can I go to work today? I do feel bad when I don’t look good. But then, at the end of the day, you are human. You have days when you look fabulous and some when you don’t look so good. People often tell me that I look different on screen and off screen.”