Karachi Court Acquits Two in Viral TikTokers Murder Case

A sessions court in Karachi has acquitted a man and a woman in the high-profile murder case involving four TikTok content creators, ruling that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to prove their involvement in the 2021 killings.

The decision was announced by Additional District and Sessions Judge South Abdul Hafeez Lashari after hearing arguments from both sides. The case had drawn public attention because the victims were young social media users whose deaths sparked debate about online fame, personal disputes and violent crime in the city.

The four victims, identified as Ruqayya Muskan, Amir Khan, Rehan Shah and Saddam Hussain, were shot dead near Anklesaria Hospital in February 2021 while travelling in a car. The prosecution had alleged that the attack was connected to personal differences and tensions linked to TikTok activity.

The accused, Abdul Rehman Khan, also known as Shooter, and Sawera, had been facing charges related to murder, abetment, disappearance of evidence, omission to report an offence and common intention under different provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code. However, the court found that the material placed on record did not meet the legal threshold required for conviction.

In its detailed reasoning, the court observed that the alleged motive was not established through independent and reliable evidence. The judge noted that while the prosecution had attempted to connect the crime to earlier disputes, the claim remained unproven and could not be treated as a firm basis for holding the accused responsible.

The court also reviewed witness testimony and pointed to weaknesses in identification. According to the order, the complainant’s information was largely based on what he had heard from others, while another witness who described the incident could not conclusively identify the accused or the motorcycle allegedly involved.

The alleged CCTV footage also failed to strengthen the prosecution’s case. The court noted that no technical expert or relevant official was examined to authenticate the video, and the footage did not clearly identify the accused as the persons responsible for the attack.

Another key issue was the recovery of the alleged weapon. Although empties from a 9mm pistol were recovered from the crime scene and matched with the weapon in forensic examination, the court found gaps in the recovery process, including the absence of independent witnesses from the locality when the weapon was allegedly recovered.

The defence also told the court that legal heirs of three victims had submitted affidavits stating that they had reached a compromise and did not wish to pursue the case against the accused. The court’s acquittal, however, was primarily anchored in the prosecution’s failure to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The verdict closes a major part of a case that remained in public memory because of its connection with TikTok personalities and urban violence in Karachi. A separate matter linked to the alleged weapon is still expected to proceed according to the court schedule, keeping one aspect of the case alive for further judicial determination.