Islamabad court sentences Umar Hayat to death in Sana Yousaf murder case

An Islamabad court sentenced Umar Hayat to death on Tuesday for the murder of 17-year-old TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf, who was shot dead at her home in the Pakistani capital on June 2, 2025.

The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka and included a fine of Rs2 million. The case drew widespread public attention following Sana Yousaf's killing and prompted a swift investigation leading to Hayat's arrest the following day.

Who was Sana Yousaf and what happened in her murder case?

Sana Yousaf was a 17-year-old social media content creator with a large following on TikTok and Instagram.

She was shot twice in the chest inside her home in Islamabad's G-13 sector, with an autopsy report finding that the bullets damaged her right lung and heart, causing death within minutes. Police arrested Umar Hayat from Jaranwala on June 3, 2025, a day after the killing.

What evidence did prosecutors present against Umar Hayat?

Investigators told the court that fingerprint evidence linked Hayat to a mirror in the victim's bedroom, while mobile phone data placed him in Islamabad at the time of the shooting. Police said the 30-bore pistol used in the attack was recovered from a railway track where it had allegedly been discarded after the incident.

Additional forensic material, including a blood-stained carpet, bullet casings and digital records, was submitted in court and verified through Pakistan's national database systems.

The prosecution built its case around physical, forensic and digital evidence gathered in the days following the killing. The combination of location data, fingerprint analysis and the weapon recovery formed the core of the case against Hayat. Prosecutors maintained throughout the proceedings that he was directly and solely responsible for the fatal shooting.

What did Umar Hayat say in his defense?

Hayat denied all charges in his final statement recorded under Section 342 of Pakistan's Code of Criminal Procedure, alleging the case had been fabricated under public and political pressure.

He told the court that investigators had shown him to the victim's family before a formal identification parade, compromising the process, and that he had no relationship with Sana Yousaf and had never visited her home. He also claimed he was forced to sign blank documents and provide thumb impressions under duress.

Hayat dismissed the prosecution's physical and forensic evidence as "fake and fictitious," alleging that items including the pistol, mobile phone records, fingerprints and vehicle documents had been planted by investigators.

He accused investigators of manipulating forensic and post-mortem findings to resolve a high-profile case under pressure. Throughout the proceedings, he maintained he had no confidence in the investigation, prosecution or judicial process.