Relatives sought by police over Sara Sharif death returning to UKon September 13, 2023 at 4:42 pm

Three relatives who police want to speak to over the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif are returning to the UK from Pakistan.

Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool and brother Faisal Malik, are expected to land later.

Surrey Police said they wanted to speak to the trio, who were living with Sara before her death and left the UK the day before her body was found.

Post-mortem tests found Sara sustained “multiple and extensive injuries”.

Sara’s father, his wife and his brother are booked on a flight landing at London Gatwick tonight, having changed in Dubai.

They had flown to Dubai on a plane from an airport at Sialkot, in the Punjab province, early Wednesday morning.

It has not yet been confirmed that they boarded the flight in Dubai.

Police in Pakistan said the three travelled of their own free will.

Sara’s five siblings – aged between one and 13 – who travelled with the three adults to Pakistan remain in a government care facility in the country.

Sara’s body was found at her home in Woking on 10 August.

She had been living at the property with her father Mr Sharif, stepmother Ms Batool, uncle Mr Malik and siblings.

The three adults travelled from the UK to Pakistan on 9 August.

Surrey Police said Mr Sharif made a 999 call from Pakistan, leading them to find Sara’s body, shortly after landing in Islamabad.

An international search was launched via Interpol for the trio, with police in Pakistan trying to locate them on behalf of detectives in Surrey.

Mr Sharif and Ms Batool released a video statement last week in which Ms Batool said they had gone into hiding in Pakistan over fears police in the country would “torture or kill” them.

They also claimed members of their family had been harassed, and that they were willing to co-operate with the UK authorities.

Mr Sharif did not speak in the video, while Ms Batool read from a notebook. It was their first public comments since Sara’s death.

In response, Jhelum police chief Mehmood Bajwa told the BBC the allegations of harassment and torture of family members were false.

He said if the family had any fears from the police they could go to court to seek protection.

The five children who travelled with the three adults to Pakistan were found by police at the home of Mr Sharif’s father on Monday.

Muhammad Sharif, Sara’s grandfather, told the BBC the children had been staying at his house in Jhelum since their arrival on 10 August.

They were moved to the government childcare facility following a court hearing in Pakistan on Tuesday, although the court did not state how long they should be kept there for.

Additional reporting by James Gregory and Doug Faulkner