Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders - Who was Sania Khan?

28-year-old professional photographer Sania Khan was shot dead by her husband, Raheel Ahmad, three days before she was about to move back to her hometown of Chattanooga. Sania was found dead near the front door of her Streeterville condominium on July 18, 2022, per The Chicago Sun-Times.

Khan and Ahmad had been undergoing divorce proceedings when the former intended to make the move to start her life afresh. She had gained popularity on her TikTok after she shared her journey and struggles as a South Asian Muslim facing the stigma of marital separation.

The Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders episode titled Tiktok Terror showcases Sania Khan's murder as it airs on June 10, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery. The official synopsis reads,

"As 28-year-old Sania battles through a divorce, her passionate and searingly honest TikToks attract tens of thousands of followers. But she soon discovers that members of her community want to silence her -- and will stop at nothing to do it."

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Who was Sania Khan? Details explored

Sania Khan was born in 1993 to Pakistani Muslim migrant parents Haider Farooq Khan and Shazia Khan. She grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and attended the Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences. Khan then completed a double major in psychology and women's studies at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Sania started her journey as a photographer during her college years and often took on projects for clients and friends. According to a BBC report on her, she would do weddings, maternity shoots, and baby showers, among other big shoots and collaborations. In her free time, she loved to go on hikes and traveled extensively. She wrote on her website,

“I used to love travel so much that I was a flight attendant. My favorite layover was always Chicago, and who would have known two years later I would have moved there?”

Sania Khan had dated Raheel Ahmad for five years, and the two shared a long-distance relationship before getting married in June 2021. After their wedding, Sania moved from Chattanooga to Chicago.

Sania's friends reported that their marriage started to fall apart soon, as Ahmad had a long-standing history of mental illness, which he allegedly refused to work on. Sania filed for divorce in December 2021. She also started sharing her experience as a South Asian woman on her TikTok account, which led to her gaining significant traction in her online presence.

The final hearing of their divorce proceeding had been scheduled for August 2022, per The US Sun.

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What happened to Sania Khan?

Sania Khan was scheduled to move in with her friend, Gabriella Bordó, on July 21, 2022, but met with her unfortunate death three days before. According to the Dawn, Sania's husband, Raheel Ahmad, had traveled over 700 miles from Alpharetta to Chicago.

Ahmad's family had reported his disappearance to the Alpharetta Police, who then coordinated with the Chicago Police to conduct a welfare check at his previous Streeterville home, where Sania was staying at that moment.

According to a BBC report, Sania Khan was shot to death in the head by Raheel. As the Chicago Police arrived at the crime scene, they heard a gunshot and entered the apartment to find Ahmad in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to his head.

Raheel Ahmad held on to a 9mm Glock handgun while a suicide note lay next to him, per the Chicago Sun-Times.

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Watch the new episode of Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders as it airs on Investigation Discovery on Mondays.