‘Huge doubt in prosecution story’: Patna High Court acquits man after 16 years in jail for murder

An Additional Sessions Court in Taxila granted post-arrest bail to one of the accused in the murder case of TikToker Shamsu Bibi, also known as Ayesha Gulamna, on September 12th, 2026. The Additional Sessions Judge, Muhammad Azam, made the decision after listening to arguments from both the defence and prosecution and reviewing the case record.

The accused, a resident of Haripur and uncle of the deceased's father, was nominated by the police as the planner of the execution plan. Shamsu Bibi, a well-known social media content creator, was fatally shot in the Taxila area on August 14th, 2026. The police registered a case under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and initiated an investigation, initially registering the FIR against unidentified suspects with the victim's father as the complainant.

Five suspects were later arrested: the victim's father, her brother, her cousin, her father's uncle, and the son of her cousin. According to the police, investigators reviewed footage from over 100 CCTV cameras and obtained assistance from human intelligence sources. The police described the incident as an alleged honor-related killing, though the actual motive remains under investigation and subject to proof through the judicial process.

The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court. The case is set to continue through additional hearings, where the prosecution's evidence, the defense's contentions, and the alleged roles of the accused will be carefully examined in accordance with the law.