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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Chiara Giordano

Sahar Tabar: Instagram star 'arrested for blasphemy' in Iran

Sahar Tabar posted images of herself on Instagram claiming to have had plastic surgery to look like actress Angelina Jolie. ( sahartabar_officialx/Instagram )

An Instagram star who went viral after claiming to have had plastic surgery to look like a “zombie version” of Angelina Jolie has reportedly been arrested.

Sahar Tabar is said to have been arrested in Tehran for crimes including blasphemy and instigating violence, Tasnim news agency reports, according to the BBC.

The Iranian shot to fame in 2017 after shocking the internet with images claiming to show her face after going under the knife 50 times in a bid to look like the famous actress.

The now 22-year-old was told she looked more like Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride than the Hollywood A-list celebrity.

But she later admitted the dramatic photos, which showed sunken cheeks and a sharp upturned nose, were a joke.

Her new looks were actually thought to be the result of extensive makeup and Photoshop.

A number of social media users had already raised suspicions over her pictures being doctored after noticing inconsistent warped backgrounds and odd angles in some of them.

Ms Tabar told Russian news outlet Sputnik in 2017 that she doctored the photos to “amuse” herself.

She said: “Now I can see that I have something in common with [Angelina Jolie], but I amuse myself, and to look like someone is not my goal.”

The social media influencer was arrested by police after members of the public reportedly made complained about her, Tasnim reports.

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