Extended family members of Sara Sharif are being questioned by police in Pakistan concerning the death of the 10-year-old girl. Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, and his partner Beinash Batool, fled to Pakistan the day before Sara was found dead and alone at their family home in Woking, Surrey in August. Urfan’s father, Muhammad Sharif, along with his brothers and cousins, have been detained by Pakistani authorities in Jehlum, located 108 miles northwest of Lahore. The police spokesperson in Jehlum confirmed that 10 close relatives have been taken into custody for questioning as part of the investigation.
Sara’s body was discovered at her home on August 10th, shortly after her father and stepmother had booked urgent flights to Pakistan. Urfan contacted emergency services upon his arrival in the country. A postmortem revealed that the girl had sustained multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period of time.
Batool, Sara’s stepmother, recently spoke publicly for the first time since the girl’s death. In a video clip posted online by Sky, Batool expressed no emotion as she referred to Sara’s death as “an incident” and stated that both she and Sharif are willing to cooperate with UK authorities in the case. Urfan Sharif and Batool left the UK with their five children, aged between one and 13, and Surrey police are seeking to question them in relation to Sara’s death.
Muhammad Sharif, Sara’s grandfather, has revealed in an interview with the BBC that the girl’s death was an accident. He also mentioned that the three family members who fled the UK for Pakistan will “ultimately” return to face police questioning. Surrey police are appealing for information to provide insight into Sara’s life.
Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, separated from her husband in 2015 and Sara had been living with her until 2019 when the family court ruled that the children should reside with their father. Olga still had equal rights to see the children, but it gradually became more challenging over time. She described the heartbreaking experience of viewing her daughter’s body, noting the swelling and bruises on Sara’s face.
The investigation into Sara’s death continues, and Pakistani authorities are actively questioning close relatives to uncover more information about the case.