An Islamabad district and sessions court on Wednesday remanded Umar Hayat, the suspected murderer of TikToker Sana Yousaf, to jail for 14 days. The 22-year-old suspect, arrested in Faisalabad the previous day, was presented before Duty Judicial Magistrate Ahmed Shehzad after a murder case was registered against him under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Yousaf, a 17-year-old social media influencer with over a million followers, was shot twice inside her home in Sector G-13/1 on Monday evening. The Islamabad Police quickly acted, apprehending Hayat just 20 hours after the murder, using CCTV footage and mobile data analysis to track his movements.
Hayat, who also has a TikTok presence and is known by the nickname “Kaka,” confessed to the murder. He claimed to be a friend of the victim. At the time of the crime, Yousaf’s father, a government officer, was away at work, and her mother had gone to the market. Her 15-year-old brother was in Chitral visiting relatives after completing his school exams. Yousaf’s aunt, who was present during the incident, reported hearing a conversation between the two before the shooting. According to her, Yousaf had said, “Go away from here. There are cameras all around and I will fetch you some water,” moments before Hayat shot her twice in the chest.
After the murder, Hayat fled to Faisalabad. Authorities confirmed that his actions stemmed from repeated rejections by Yousaf, as he had allegedly been trying to contact her multiple times.
Alleged CCTV footage of suspect Hayat fleeing the crime scene:
During the court hearing, the prosecutor’s absence drew the ire of Judge Shehzad, who remarked, “Where are the prosecutors of my court? Generally, prosecutors are not present, but since this is a high-profile case all the prosecutors are present.” It was later revealed that the district prosecutor was on leave, and the case would proceed once the officer returned.
The court authorized the investigation officer’s request for Hayat’s identity parade and remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days.
The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) condemned the murder, highlighting the rise of misinformation, gendered hate speech, and the glorification of Yousaf’s death on social media. The DRF criticized the online spread of unfounded rumors about Yousaf’s personal life and her relationship with Hayat, noting that such behavior reflects deep-rooted misogyny that endangers women both online and offline. The foundation pointed out that this was part of a larger pattern of normalizing and justifying violence against women, particularly those with an online presence.
