TAXILA: The investigation into the murder of popular TikToker Shamsu Bibi alias Ayesha Gilamana took a dramatic turn on Saturday after Taxila police arrested five suspects, including the victim’s father and brother, and claimed they had confessed to orchestrating her killing.

Investigators reportedly examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras, besides using human intelligence and technical evidence to unravel the killing.

SSP Operations Tariq Mehboob, while briefing the media, said investigators had expanded the scope of the probe after technical evidence raised questions about the initial course of the investigation.

According to police, the victim’s father, Fazal, and her brother, Bashir, were taken into custody and questioned.

Police claimed that during interrogation, they allegedly confessed to arranging Ayesha’s murder with the assistance of other suspects.

The development has turned the case on its head, as investigators had initially been pursuing other lines of inquiry into the daylight shooting of the TikToker.

Police said the accused allegedly attempted to create a false narrative and mislead investigators to avoid legal consequences.

However, investigators claimed that CCTV footage, technical evidence and intelligence inputs eventually exposed inconsistencies in their account.

According to the preliminary police investigation, the murder was allegedly committed in the name of so-called honour. Police said further interrogation was under way and more revelations were expected as investigators continued to piece together the alleged conspiracy and the individual roles of all five suspects.

The latest arrests represent a major shift in the investigation and have placed the victim’s immediate family at the centre of the murder conspiracy.

Police officials said all five suspects would be produced before the court along with evidence collected during the investigation, adding that efforts were under way to establish the complete chain of events leading to the killing.

Police maintained that the investigation was continuing and that the confessions would be evaluated alongside CCTV footage, technical evidence and other material collected during the probe before the case was taken to its legal conclusion.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2026