Sara Sharif murder: Suspects arrested after returning to the UK
By News Desk
On Wednesday, 13 September, law enforcement authorities arrested the three relatives on suspicion of the murder of a 10-year-old girl. This occurred shortly after the trio returned to Britain following a month-long period of evading capture in Pakistan.
Sara Sharif’s lifeless body was found at the Sharif family residence, located near Woking in southeast England, on August 10 after her father called the police to inform them about her death. A post-mortem examination disclosed that she had suffered “numerous and severe injuries” over an extended period.
The authorities had previously stated that Sharif, 41, along with his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, had fled to Pakistan to seek shelter with their relatives before the discovery of Sara’s body, prompting an international search to find them.
After their arrest, Surrey Police released a statement that read: “Our investigation into the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif was launched following the discovery of her body at her home address in Hammond Road, Woking, on 10 August.
“This evening, around 7.45pm, three people were arrested in connection with this investigation at Gatwick Airport.
“Two men, aged 41 years and 28 years, and a woman, aged 29 years, were arrested on suspicion of murder after disembarking a flight from Dubai. They are currently in custody and will be interviewed in due course.
“Sara’s mother has been informed of this latest update and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts remain with her and those affected by Sara’s death at this very difficult time.
“This has been an extremely fast-moving, challenging and complex enquiry and we remain absolutely committed to conducting a thorough investigation into Sara’s death.
“We will not be commenting any further at this point and will provide further updates as and when we are able to.”
A spokesperson from the Pakistani police confirmed that Sharif, Batool, and Malik had returned to Britain of their own accord, and this action had been coordinated with the knowledge of the authorities.
Raja Haq Nawaz, a lawyer for Urfan Sharif’s father stated that the three suspects were not arrested but left Pakistan voluntarily.
Earlier this month, both Sharif and Batool appeared in a video that was sent to the BBC with the latter claiming that Sara’s death was an “incident” and that they were “willing to cooperate” with the authorities in the UK and fight their case in court.
Batool further expressed, “All of our family members have gone into hiding because everyone is genuinely concerned about their safety” and alleged misconduct by the Pakistan police who were actively searching for them.
Sharif, Batool and Malik fled the country just a day before Sara’s body was found along with her five other siblings. All five children were found hiding at their grandfather’s home in Pakistan by the police and were placed into state protective services on Tuesday.
Surrey Police have stated that they are in talks with other local and international law enforcement agencies to ensure the safe return of the children.
On Friday, 15 September the police stated that they have charged all three people with the murder of Sara Sharif.
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