TikTok star found dead after allegedly refusing to have an arranged marriage, says her grieving daughter
A TikTok star has been found dead after refusing to have an arranged marriage, according to her daughter.
The body of Sumeera Rajput was discovered at her home in Ghotki district in Sindh, Pakistan, after she allegedly resisted pressure to have a forced wedding ceremony.
Sumeera’s daughter, aged 15, claimed her mum had been poisoned with tablets after refusing a marriage proposal, Mint reported.
An investigation is underway to determine her cause of death, with two people currently being held in custody in connection with the incident.
Local police have not yet released any more details about the deceased, the circumstances of her death or the suspects, and are also yet to file a First Information Report (FIR), according to local media. Authorities say they are currently investigating whether foul play was involved.
Sumera had over 58,000 followers and more than a million likes on TikTok. Her death comes just a month after another young TikToker, 17-year-old Sana Yousaf, was shot dead in Pakistan.
Sana, who spoke out for women's rights in Pakistan was shot dead in a suspected 'honour killing' after filming a clip of her Western-style birthday party. She was gunned down at her home in Islamabad by what police believe was a family member. Only hours later on June 2, her social media account posted what appears to have been a scheduled post showing Sana at her party in what would be her final post.
Sumera and Sana’s deaths are the latest in a growing list of young female influencers who have faced violence in the country, often from within their own families or communities.
In February, a dad admitted to shooting his 15-year-old daughter, Hira Anwar, dead in a suspected honour killing because she was posting videos on TikTok and refused to stop. In the same month, a 20-year-old woman called Ansa was allegedly shot dead by her brothers for making TikTok videos.