Sana Yousaf murder case: Islamabad court extends suspect’s physical remand by 3 days

An Islamabad court on Friday extended the physical remand of the main suspect in the murder case of social media influencer Sana Yousaf for another three days.

Islamabad Police had arrested Umar Hayat, the main suspect in the 17-year-old’s murder, on June 3, nearly a day after she was gunned down in her house in the federal capital. Police had claimed the man murdered Sana because she repeatedly refused his advances.

Hayat was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Hafeez upon the completion of his four-day physical remand. His 14-day judicial remand at the Adiala Jail for his identification parade had already been completed, with the victim’s mother and aunt identifying him.

Deputy district public prosecutors (DDPPs) Adnan Ali and Raja Naveed Hussain, along with Investigation Officer (IO) Mazhar Bashir Khan, appeared on behalf of the state before Magistrate Hafeez.

Hussain informed the judge that the vehicle used by the suspect had been recovered, while his phone was yet to be taken into custody. “The suspect is quite clever and understands the gravity of the crime, which is why he is not letting us recover his mobile phone,” he said.

IO Bashir then requested the court to extend the detained man’s remand by seven days for further “investigation and recovery”, according to the written order.

However, the magistrate approved the remand for another three days, directing the police to produce the suspect before the court on June 23.

Sana’s mobile phone and the murder weapon had been recovered from the suspect’s possession when he was arrested.

“The ruthless killer took the phone with him after the murder to destroy evidence. In order to apprehend the accused, raids were conducted at over 11 locations in three cities. The accused is a 22-year-old unemployed man who repeatedly attempted to contact the victim. Upon her refusal to respond, he committed the murder,” said the police.

The incident had sparked widespread outrage across the country, including from citizens, celebrities and even President Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter, MNA Aseefa.