THEY were internet sensations and household names, with content attracting millions of views around the world.
But beneath the social media glare of their online lives, a handful of viral influencers and bloggers have managed to hide dark secrets in plain sight.
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From a mother who tipped her parents while abusing her own children to a rapist who tricked thousands of TikTok fans into sending him money, his dark crimes shocked his devoted followers.
Here we reveal the viral social media stars whose fame masked the evil truth.
Double homicide duo
Mahek Bukhari was living his biggest dream of being a TikTok star. She had more than 129,000 followers and a mother, Ansreen, who supported her and even appeared in her content.
His carefully crafted image came crashing down when Mahek, 24, and Ansreen, 46, were sentenced to life in prison after they were both found guilty of two counts of murder.
It all started when Ansreen began an affair with toy Saqib Hussain, 21.
During their relationship, they met regularly for sex in hotels in London and Birmingham.
He took her on expensive nights out and gave her lavish gifts. But things went wrong when the relationship fizzled and Ansreen tried to break it off in January 2022.
Struggling to come to terms with the separation, Saqib allegedly threatened to blackmail Ansreen by sending her nude photos to her husband.
He demanded that she return the money he spent on her.
Ansreen and Mahek then hatched a deadly plan to silence Saqib, which involved Mahek’s friend Rekan Karwan and several others.
Saqib, driven by his friend Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, was lured to a Tesco car park where Ansreen had promised to hand over the £3,000 he said had been spent on her.
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When the pair arrived, they quickly realized something was wrong and left. But their Skoda was followed by two cars – Ansreen and Mahedk were passengers in one of the cars.
Saqib and Hashim’s car was then run off the road in a 100mph chase. The pair’s car caught fire. Their bodies were so burned that they were unrecognizable by their families.
The mother-daughter duo were soon arrested by the police and taken to trial, where they were sentenced to life in prison.
Mahek’s TikTok videos are still available on the platform, which means she could be accumulating income behind bars.
Hitchhiker wielding hatchet
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In February 2013, Caleb ‘Kai’ McGillvary, 35, became an early viral sensation when he was filmed describing how he saved a woman from a violent attack with a hatchet while hitchhiking.
After the incident, he described hitting the attacker with a hatchet in a comical and exaggerated manner.
He said the hatchet blows were like “smash, smash, SUH-MASH” in an interview with KMPH in California.
Kai also told how he was questioned by police but was released. The video received millions of views and Kai was acclaimed for his bravery and quick thinking.
But his life would turn upside down when, just three years after the video, he was arrested on murder charges in the death of New Jersey lawyer Joseph Galfy.
Police said he had sex with Galfy and later murdered him.
As part of Kai’s defense, he infamously pointed out the consequences of his viral moment. He said, “Do you know how many hot girls…nevermind.
“Even if I was gay, do you know how many hot guys wanted to fuck me after that shit in California?
“It’s just a fact, like – no offense, but he [Galfy] I was not an observer.”
He also claimed he killed the victim in self-defense after the lawyer drugged and raped her. He ended up being sentenced to 57 years in prison and will have to serve 85% of his sentence.
Child Abuse Mom Blogger
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Ruby Franke, 42, became a viral sensation for her controversial parenting advice, but no one predicted the horrors that would be discovered about her in 2023.
In August of that year, a neighbor discovered a 12-year-old boy on his doorstep begging for food and water. He was covered in open wounds and had tape on his ankles.
He explained that he escaped through the window of a nearby house and was later taken to the hospital, where he was discovered to be suffering from malnutrition and “deep lacerations from being tied up with rope,” according to police.
The boy was Ruby’s son, who had been subjected to various types of torture. Ruby even treated her wounds with cayenne pepper and honey.
After raiding the Utah home of Ruby’s partner Jodi Hildebrandt, cops discovered that the vlogger’s daughter was also severely malnourished.
Additionally, they discovered evidence that proved the children had been victims of torture and abuse, including holding the boy’s head under water and pushing him into a cactus.
Ruby also admitted to kicking her son while wearing boots and “cutting off his oxygen by putting her hands over his mouth and nose.”
Four children were taken into care.
In court, Ruby apologized, saying, “I was so disoriented that I believed darkness was light and right was wrong.” A Utah district court sentenced her and Jodi to four terms of one to 15 years each.
Rapist’s appeal
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Last year, fans of Anthony Q Lion, who has amassed 337,000 followers on TikTok, were furious to learn he kept his dark past hidden when he asked for donations for his final performance on the app.
To his fans, the singer, whose real name is Anthony Ekpenyong, was a talented singer and devoted father and husband.
Little did they know that he had been found guilty of raping a woman who begged him to stop 107 times.
Before serving his prison sentence, his loyal fans gave him 134,800 TikTok gifts, which according to MyLondon ranged from 1p to £400.
One outraged fan said: “He had a huge following on TikTok and received lots of gifts the night he said he was leaving.
He had been released on bail before his sentencing, which allowed him to ask his followers for donations.
In a video, he told fans: “I truly appreciate everything you have done and your support is priceless. There is no doubt that I will always remember you… Thank you for everything you have done.”
In court documents, it was revealed that Anthony’s victim met him at her home for consensual sex, but changed her mind when he went to get a sex toy and she saw women’s clothing.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
