Who was Sana Yousaf and what happened to her? All about TikTok star as she dies at 17

Sana Yousaf, a 17-year-old Pakistani social media influencer, was murdered at her home in Islamabad on June 2, 2025, according to USA Today. The teenage social media star who was known for her TikTok videos and Instagram content, had a large following on the internet and had just turned 17 shortly before she passed away.

An Upper Chitral native from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sana had millions of followers on TikTok and over 500,000 on Instagram. On her instagram she would usually post videos about beauty secrets, food tryouts, fashion looks, or clips showing her enjoying daily life.

According to Business Standard, Sana Yousaf was also a first-year medical student and the daughter of a social activist, though there is little official information available about her education.

The fatal shooting took place at about 5pm on June 2, when the suspect walked into her home and began shooting in front of her mother and aunt. Sana Yousaf was hit by two bullets to her chest from a close range. She was immediately taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) where she passed away.

The incident quickly ignited an outrage on social media, with hashtags like #JusticeForSanaYousaf trending on X and Instagram. Several users voiced anger at the increasing violence against women in Pakistan and demanded harsher laws for their protection.

More about Sana Yousaf's murder and the main suspect

According to USA Today, a person named Umar Hayat, who is a resident of Faisalabad, was ruled as the prime suspect and was arrested the next day.

According to Islamabad Police, Hayat had been stalking Sana and trying to befriend her by contacting her multiple times but she had rejected him every time. According to police, Hayat had also attempted to meet Sana on her birthday but failed to do so even though he waited for her for hours in front of her house.

Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, the Islamabad Inspector General, during a news conference had called the murder a case of “repeated rejections.” The suspect apparently planned the attack, as he rode a motorcycle to sana’s home carrying a pistol.

"First, it was a cellular rejection. Now, it was a physical mode of rejection," Islamabad Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said in a statement.

CCTV footage of a man fleeing on foot from the area after the shooting assisted in the arrest. The weapon and Sana’s cellphone which the killer purportedly took to wipe digital traces were seized during the arrest.

Sana Yousaf’s death is another sad example of the dangers to which many young women are subjected in public spaces and online. People online are pointing out how the incident sheds light on the gender-based violence in Pakistan. The Malala Yousafzai attack in 2012, among others, has been described in relation to past attacks on women content creators.

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