Court gives death sentence to accused in Sana Yusuf murder case

ISLAMABAD: An court in Islamabad on Tuesday sentenced the main suspect to death in the murder case of social media influencer and TikToker Sana Yousuf after a lengthy trial.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka announced the ruling in open court, convicting Umar Hayat in the case, according to court proceedings.

The court also sentenced him to 10 years in prison under robbery-related provisions, and another 10 years under house trespass charges and imposed a fine of Rs2 million.

Last year, Umar Hayat — the son of a retired government official and a TikToker himself — had confessed before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that he shot Sana Yousuf.

Sana Yousuf was shot dead at her residence in Islamabad’s Sector G-13 on June 2, 2025. Police arrested the accused from Faisalabad within 20 hours of the incident and recovered the alleged murder weapon.

Umar Hayat was formally indicted by Judge Afzal Majoka’s court on September 20, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, according to court proceedings.

However, during testimony before the trial court on Monday, Hayat retracted an earlier confessional statement.

In his prior statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Hayat had admitted developing a one-sided obsession with Sana Yousuf following online interactions, and said jealousy and suspicion led him to commit the crime.

According to investigators, the accused (now convict) had been attempting to contact the victim repeatedly and allegedly carried out the attack after she refused.

Last day of trial

The court hearing in the Sana Yousuf murder case also saw prosecution and defence present arguments over electronic evidence and prior statements, including call records and chat screenshots.

During the hearing, the court was presented with alleged call logs and chat screenshots linked to Umar Hayat.

The complainant’s lawyer requested the court award the death penalty twice, arguing that the evidence warranted the maximum punishment.

The defence lawyer, however, said Umar Hayat had previously expressed lack of confidence in both the state counsel and the trial court, adding that two petitions were pending before the Islamabad High Court.

He argued that announcing a predetermined outcome would amount to injustice and said the accused must be given a fair trial under Article 10A of the Constitution.

The defence counsel also urged the court to act as a neutral arbiter, saying that any personal friction between counsel and judge should not influence the trial.

He further cautioned against allowing external pressure, including from NGOs or civil society, to affect the verdict, and said the case should not be turned into a broader social debate on women-related issues.

The presiding judge, Afzal Majoka, expressed displeasure over parts of the defence remarks, directing counsel not to mislead the court.

The court was told that Umar Hayat had pleaded not guilty and denied any confession in the case.

During interrogation, the court was informed, he had also denied any contact with the victim, despite forensic evidence reportedly linking his mobile number to the case.

Timeline of the murder and subsequent developments

Sana Yousuf was killed at her residence on June 2, 2025, after which police arrested Umar Hayat from Faisalabad on June 3, 2025.

An identification parade of the accused was held on June 13, 2025, while a second mobile phone belonging to him was later recovered from Jaranwala, according to investigators.

On September 20, 2025, charges were formally framed against Umar Hayat, and the first witness testimony in the case was recorded on September 25.

The case involved 31 witnesses in total, of whom statements of 27 were recorded during the trial, court proceedings showed.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court had rejected a plea file by Umar Hayat seeking transfer of the trial and directed that proceedings continue before the same judge.

IHC Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar dismissed the petition filed by Umar Hayat, who had expressed a lack of confidence in the trial court and sought relocation of the case to another bench.

The court ruled that the trial would continue before Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka.

The case relates to the killing of TikToker Sana Yousuf, which had sparked widespread debate over online safety and violence against social media personalities.