Court indicts Umar Hayat in social media influencer Sana Yousaf murder case

• Court adjourns hearing till September 25.
• Accused denies charges framed against him.
• “I have not committed any such crime,” says Hayat. 
  

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday indicted Umar Hayat, the suspect in the murder case of social media influencer Sana Yousaf.

The 17-year-old TikToker — with more than a million followers across various platforms — was shot twice inside her home in Sector G-13/1 on June 2, 2025, allegedly by Hayat.

Police had registered a murder case against the 22-year-old accused at Islamabad’s Sumbal police station under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). 

The accused, a TikToker himself and also known as by his nickname “Kaka”, was brought before Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal, who read out charges against him.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the charges.

“Did you murder Sana Yousaf?” the judge asked Hayat during the hearing. “I have not committed any such crime; these are all false allegations,” the accused replied.

Upon being asked bout allegations of stealing Sana’s mobile phone, the accused denied this too saying: “All the allegation against me are based on lies.”

The court later adjourned the case till September 25 for further proceedings in the matter. 

As per the initial investigations, the girl’s parents were away at the time of killing — her father at work and her mother at the market — while her younger brother was in Chitral visiting relatives after completing his exams.

The victim’s aunt, who was present in the house during the incident, told police the suspect had come to meet the teenager and the two exchanged brief words before the shooting. 

She recalled overhearing her niece telling the visitor: “Go away from here. There are cameras all around and I will fetch you some water,” moments before he allegedly opened fire, hitting her twice in the chest.

TikTok is wildly popular in Pakistan, in part because of its accessibility to a population with low literacy levels.

Women have found both an audience and income on the app, which is rare in a country where fewer than a quarter of women participate in the formal economy.

Police described the killing as a “gruesome and cold-blooded murder”, alleging Hayat killed Sana after she repeatedly rejected his proposals.

— With additional input from AFP