Pakistan police arrest man accused of murdering teenage TikToker

A 22-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of TikToker Sana Yousaf in Pakistan’s capital after she repeatedly rejected his advances, the city’s police chief said Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Umar Hayat alias Kaka, is a 22-year-old from Jaranwala, a small town near Faisalabad in Punjab.

Inspector General (IG) of Islamabad Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi confirmed during a press briefing that the accused was arrested from his hometown. He stated that Umar comes from a lower-middle-class family, and his father is a retired Grade 16 government employee. Umar completed his education up to the 10th grade (Matric) and worked as a social media promoter.

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Rizvi added that the case has been identified as one of "repeated rejection" after the suspect persistently tried to pursue the victim, who rejected him multiple times.

“He wanted to be friends with her, but Sana Yousaf kept rejecting him repeatedly,” Rizvi said.

According to the IG, the suspect made several attempts to contact the victim through social media in the days leading up to her murder. On May 29, Sana Yousaf’s birthday, the man reached her home and tried for nearly eight hours to speak with her, but failed.

“It was rejection. First, it was cellular rejection, but later it was physical,” Rizvi said.

The suspect again tried to meet her on June 2, spending 8 to 10 hours attempting contact, but was again unsuccessful. Rizvi said, “She was resisting and rejecting his immoral intentions, and he could not bear that rejection. So, he planned the murder.”

Investigators reviewed footage from 113 security cameras and analyzed over 300 phone call records. The investigation also involved 11 separate raids and the interrogation of around 37 individuals before the suspect was identified and arrested.

“This was a blind and clueless murder case,” Rizvi said. “We not only used cellular technology and digital surveillance, but social media also played a major role in apprehending the accused.”

He added that leads from various individuals helped identify and locate the suspect.

“We have all the evidence that will stand in a court of law. Umar Hayat will face capital punishment,” he said.

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According to the First Information Report (FIR), 17-year-old Sana Yousaf was killed on Monday evening in her home in Islamabad’s G-13 sector when a man dressed in black entered her home and shot her.

“He went directly to the room where Sana was and fired at her with the intent to kill. Two bullets struck her in the chest. She collapsed on the floor, seriously injured,” her mother told police.

Neighbors rushed over after hearing the gunshots and helped transport her to the hospital in a private car, but she succumbed to her injuries.