Model Tara Fares, the woman to be reportedly crowned Miss Baghdad in 2015, gained a nearly 3 million strong following on Instagram, where she shared pictures which enthralled fans while contradicting traditional Muslim values.

Axar.az reports citing that twenty-two-year-old Iraqi model and social media star Tara Fares was murdered while driving her sports car in Baghdad. She was shot three times, including twice in the head, local health service chief Er-Rasafa Kasem Abdel Khadi told the media.

The message about her death, describing her murder as “treacherous and cowardly act,” was posted on her Instagram page, which has an impressive following of 2.7 million people. Just days before the shooting, Fares, who often posted pictures considered inappropriate in the conservative Islamic society, was voted one of Iraq's most influential social media personalities.

Tara Fares was crowned Miss Baghdad in 2014 and competed for the Miss Iraq title. After living for some time in Europe, she returned to Iraq. Apart from social media activity, she represented some brands and occasionally worked in show business. According to The New Arab, a UK-based Arab community website, she spent much of her time in the more liberal Kurdistan region, but reportedly had begun to visit the capital more often recently.