Crime17 August, 20263 min read
Two Men On Motorcycle Shot Dead Pakistani TikToker Ayesha Gilamana In Taxila
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Pakistani TikToker Ayesha Gilamana, 28, shot dead in Taxila; sister injured. Two unidentified men on a motorcycle fired at the car.
Motorcycle shooting in Taxila
Pakistani TikToker Shamso Bibi, also known online as Ayesha Gilamana, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle in Taxila city near Islamabad on Pakistan's Independence Day (14 August), according to her brother Niamatullah and local police reports. The Independent said Bibi was killed after a bullet reportedly struck her in the neck, and People reported the shooting happened after she left her home near Taxila with her brother and sister. People said the vehicle spun out of control and collided with a dump truck during the attack, while News18 reported her sister was injured in the crash after the shooting.
News18 also said police are investigating the case and looking into CCTV footage from the area, and Gulf News reported the shooting took place on August 14 near a petrol station. The Independent reported Bibi's father, Fazal Sahibzada, said his daughter received a call from a man named Kashif who asked her to come out of her Taxila house before the attack.
Arrests, investigation, and claims
The Independent reported local police have since arrested at least four suspects, including two people who allegedly helped the main shooter evade arrest, ARY News reported on Monday. People said police have opened an investigation and authorities are searching for three suspects, and it quoted a fellow content creator, Yousaf Khan, writing on TikTok: "Rest in peace, dear friend,". News18 said CCTV footage shows the incident and police are checking the footage to identify the attackers and find out the reason behind the killing, while The Statesman reported police are examining CCTV footage as part of the investigation.
In the complaint described by multiple outlets, Fazal Sahibzada said Kashif, also known as “Kashi,” asked Bibi to come outside immediately before she left in a car with her 15-year-old sister Aseema and brother Naimatullah. The Independent added that Bibi's father alleged she received death threats over demands for repayment of money from two men, and he said he had "strong reason to believe" either of the individuals was behind her death.
Motives alleged, suspects named
Several reports tied the shooting to an alleged financial dispute, with Gulf News saying Bibi’s father told police she had financial dealings with two individuals identified as Kausar and Javed, also known as Shaheen. WION reported Sahibzada said his daughter had been involved in an ongoing financial dispute with Kausar and Javed (alias Shaheen), and that she had previously received death threats over money repayment demands. The Statesman said the family’s complaint alleged the phone call from Kashif, also known as “Kashi,” preceded the attack, and it described Naimatullah’s account that two unidentified men, believed to be between 30 and 35 years old, fired at their car from a motorcycle.
The Times of India said police detained three people and that the arrests came after operations in Taxila, Attock and areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the detained people reportedly close relatives of Kashif, Kausar and Javed. While the investigation continues, the reports say police are working to identify the attackers and determine what led to the killing, and Gulf News said the investigation is ongoing and the allegations made by the victim’s family have yet to be proven in court.