ISLAMABAD: The alleged murderer of teenage TikToker Sana Yousaf in his confessional statement admitted to have committed the crime, claiming he acted out of suspicion of betrayal.

Omar Hayat, the prime suspect in the case, recorded his statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before a local magistrate.

In his confession, Hayat detailed the motive behind the killing, how the crime was committed, his escape plan, and where he disposed of the murder weapon.

Hayat, son of a retired government official and a TikToker himself, stated that he became acquainted with 17-year-old Sana through the social media platform. Their interaction gradually developed into a one-sided infatuation on his part.

In confessional statement, he admits to have committed the crime

According to the statement, Hayat travelled from his hometown, Jaranwala, to Islamabad on May 28, to wish Sana on her birthday. When she failed to meet him, he returned home feeling heartbroken and suspicious that she was deliberately avoiding him, suspecting she might have been involved with someone else.

He further confessed that they had agreed to meet again on June 2. That day, he rented a Toyota Fortuner and brought a 30-bore pistol with him—intending to kill her if she refused to see him.

After repeated calls went unanswered, he drove to her residence in Islamabad’s G-13 sector and parked his car nearby her house. Despite several attempts to contact her, he received no response. Hayat then forcibly entered the house and fatally shot Sana in front of two women—her mother and maternal aunt.

He then took Sana’s mobile phone and fled the scene in order to destroy the evidence of their conversation.

According to his confession, he instructed the driver to speed away and later stopped near a railway bridge, where he hid the pistol. He was eventually dropped off near the Chungi No. 26 bus stop, from where he boarded a vehicle back to Jaranwala.

Hayat expressed remorse in his statement, saying he was ashamed of having killed an innocent teenage girl. He told the magistrate that he was confessing voluntarily, without any coercion or pressure, as an act of repentance.

“I feel deeply ashamed for committing such a cruel act,” he reportedly said, when asked why he chose to confess.

The investigating officer stated that Hayat was given time to reflect before recording the confession and was told it would be used as evidence against him. After an hour, he reaffirmed his willingness to proceed.

Sana Yousaf, a well-known social media influencer, was shot dead at her residence on June 2. At the time of the murder, her aunt was present at home while her parents were away.

Islamabad Police arrested Hayat within 20 hours of the incident during a raid in Faisalabad. During the arrest, police recovered both the murder weapon and the victim’s mobile phone from his possession.

Investigators believe Hayat took the phone to destroy digital evidence. According to police, raids were conducted at over 11 locations across three cities to track the suspect. Limited initial leads made the investigation challenging, but law enforcement used geo-fencing and CCTV footage to trace his escape route — from G-13 to Chungi No. 26 — where he boarded a passenger vehicle to Jaranwala.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2025