Police in Rawalpindi have arrested two suspects for allegedly shooting and killing a TikToker and injuring his friend in the Lal Kurti area following an escalating dispute over video content.
According to police officials, both the suspects and the victims were TikTokers who regularly uploaded videos targeting each other on the platform.
The complaint was lodged by Abdullah Khan, the brother-in-law of the deceased man named Ali Raza. Khan informed police that he rushed to the hospital after being notified about the firing at Raza and his companion Murad.
In his statement to the police at the hospital, Murad stated that he was traveling on a motorcycle alongside Raza, Raza’s wife, and his daughter toward Raza’s house. They were intercepted in Lal Kurti by Dawar Ali and an unidentified accomplice.
Murad said that the suspects forced their motorcycles to a stop and confronted Raza directly regarding his online activity before opening fire. According to Murad, the suspects told Raza that they would “teach him a lesson for posting TikTok videos.”
Raza succumbed to his injuries, while Murad was wounded during the firing.
Police stated that Dawar Ali and his accomplice allegedly carried out the attack at the instigation of Haider Ali. The FIR [First Information Report] lists the ongoing exchange of hostile TikTok videos as the central motive behind the crime.
Prior to the incident, a local elder named Saeed Butt had convened a jirga in an effort to resolve the dispute between the two parties. However, police stated that during the meeting, Haider Ali allegedly declared that his son, Dawar Ali, was free to deal with Raza on his own terms.
Investigating officers noted that the opposing sides are relatives. Existing friction between the families had been intensified by a disagreement surrounding a marriage proposal and engagement involving Dawar Ali and the victim’s family, which led to frequent threats from both sides.
The suspects fled the scene and went into hiding immediately after the shooting. Police tracked and arrested both individuals on the third day of the investigation.
Commenting on the arrests, Superintendent of Police (SP) Potohar Sardar Babar Mumtaz stated that the suspects would be charged with solid evidence.
