Arrested female TikTok Influencer turns out to be a man in disguise

Dubai: What began as an investigation into a popular female TikTok personality known as “Yasmine” ended last week with a very different revelation: the so-called influencer was actually an 18-year-old male student posting videos in disguise.

Egyptian authorities said the teenager, identified by local media only as Abdul Rahman, was arrested in the Nile Delta governorate of Sharqia after police received multiple complaints about “Yasmine’s” sexually suggestive dance videos. The clips, officials said, violated public morals and community values.

Prosecutors initially ordered that the student be held for four days pending investigation and referred him to a forensic medical exam. Last Tuesday, he was released on bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (about $105) after admitting he had created the account to attract followers and generate advertising revenue.

In the village of Ezbet Al Insha, where Abdul Rahman lives with his divorced mother, residents expressed disbelief at the case.

“It was a complete shock,” said Abdel Halim Abu Issa, a neighbor. “We always saw him as a normal young man. Nobody ever suspected this.”

Neighbors described his mother as a respected woman known for her hard work raising her children after separating from her husband, who lives in another village.

The teenager, they said, was studying at a technical institute for tourism and hotels. “We never noticed anything suspicious,” another villager said. “This came as a surprise to everyone.”

According to the Interior Ministry, the TikTok account presented a young woman in revealing clothes dancing suggestively, content that quickly drew attention, complaints, and eventually a police investigation.

The case took a twist when officers tracked down the person behind the account and discovered that “Yasmine” was, in fact, Abdul Rahman. He confessed to impersonating a woman online and to uploading the videos to increase views and earn money.

The ministry said he was charged with impersonation and publishing content “contrary to public morals.” His phone and online accounts were seized as evidence.

The arrest comes amid an ongoing crackdown in Egypt on what authorities describe as “immoral content” on social media. In recent years, several female TikTok influencers have been arrested, charged, and in some cases jailed for posting dance videos or lifestyle content deemed inappropriate by prosecutors.