"Targeted attack": Sorrow as TikToker Shamsu Bibi is shot dead inside car

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Shamsu Bibi, known online as Ayesha Gilamana, was travelling with her siblings when gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on their vehicle

- The 28-year-old had over 1.3 million TikTok followers before her account was deactivated following news of her death

- Her family accused police of failing to act and called for intervention as fans painfully mourned her on social media

Pakistani content creator Shamsu Bibi, widely known online as Ayesha Gilamana, was shot and killed on Friday, August 14, in what police described as a targeted attack. She was 28 years old.

Bibi had left her home in Pakistan's Punjab province with her brother and sister after receiving a phone call.

What happened to Shamsu Bibi?

As the trio travelled in their vehicle, two men on a motorcycle pulled up alongside them and opened fire, striking Bibi in the neck.

The car subsequently lost control and crashed into a dump truck. Bibi's father later identified her body at a nearby hospital.

Authorities launched an investigation, and police confirmed they are searching for three suspects in connection with the killing.

Bibi's brother, Niamatullah, said that he could identify the alleged perpetrators, and that the family cited frustration with the pace of the police response.

Local reports indicate the shooting may have been linked to a financial dispute, though no formal charges had been filed at the time.

Footage of the incident, described by local media, shows two men waiting on a motorcycle near a market before approaching Bibi's vehicle and firing into it.

The video spread rapidly across social media in the days following her death.

Bibi had built a significant online following, with more than 1.3 million followers on TikTok and around 176,000 subscribers on YouTube, where her channel was known for resharing livestreams featuring other creators.

People reports that her TikTok account was switched to private and later deactivated after news of her death broke.

Her killing has renewed public debate around violence targeting women and content creators in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region.

It follows a string of similar cases in recent years. In June of last year, 17-year-old TikTok creator Sana Yousaf was shot dead inside her home in Islamabad.

That case resulted in a conviction, with Umar Hayat sentenced to 21 years in prison, ordered to pay compensation to Yousaf's family, and fined by a district and sessions court. An appeal remains pending before the Islamabad High Court.

In January of last year, a 16-year-old girl in Rawalpindi was killed by her father in what police classified as an honour killing after she refused to delete her TikTok account.

Then in July this year, Ali Raza was shot dead in Lalkurti, Rawalpindi, in a dispute reportedly connected to videos he had posted online. Police made arrests in that case.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.