Sana Yousaf, a 17-year-old TikTok star in Pakistan, was shot dead at her home in Islamabad, in a suspected case of honour killing.

The incident happened on Monday, and according to a report with The Express Tribune, Sana was shot at close range by an unidentified assailant.

The gunman reportedly entered her home and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

Sana, who hailed from Chitral in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had gained popularity through her TikTok videos.

She had more than five lakh followers on Instagram.

Other local media reports suggested that the suspect in the case may have been a guest at Sana’s residence.

“Sana Yousuf, who hailed from Upper Chitral and resided in Sector G-13 of Islamabad, was fatally shot by a guest who had come to visit her at her residence. The assailant fled the scene immediately after the incident, and police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the suspect,” police officials were quoted as saying.

Her body was later shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the police were investigating the case and were yet to arrest the accused.

The motive behind the murder remains unclear.

Earlier this year, a 15-year-old girl, identified as Hira, was shot dead by her father and maternal uncle in Quetta in an alleged case of honour killing over her presence on TikTok.

Later, reports suggested Hira’s father, Anwarul-Haq, was enraged by his daughter’s social media activity and had instructed her to stop posting videos. When she refused, he allegedly conspired with his brother-in-law, Tayyab Ali, to kill her.

In a 2016 high-profile honour killing case, Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her brother, who was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Some of Baloch’s better-known actions included offering to perform a striptease for the Pakistani cricket team and donning a plunging scarlet dress on Valentine’s Day.

She attracted criticism and threats but was perceived by many, including young people, as breaking new ground in a country where presenting yourself as a Kim Kardashian-like figure can be seen as a bold, political act of women’s empowerment, AFP stated.