London, United Kingdom

The father, stepmother and uncle of 10-year-old, Sara Sharif, have been charged with murder, said the United Kingdom’s Surrey Police, on Friday (September 15). This comes after the British police arrested Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif (41), stepmother Beinash Batool (29), and her father’s brother Faisal Malik (28) on Wednesday upon their arrival after being on the run for a month in Pakistan.

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Sara was found dead at her home in the southern United Kingdom town of Woking, Surrey on August 10  – a day after the couple fled Britain. Since then, the Surrey Police have been after the girl’s parents in relation to a murder investigation.

A post-mortem test revealed that the 10-year-old had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period of time. 

Charges against the trio

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In a statement, the Surrey police said that the trio has also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child. They were arrested on Wednesday (Sep 13) from London’s Gatwick Airport, said the British police, after the three adults along with five children had been hiding in Pakistan since August 9. 

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All three have been remanded in custody to appear at Guildford Magistrate’s Court later Friday (Sep 15), said the police. It added, “Sara’s mother has been informed of this latest development and is being supported by specialist officers.”

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About the case

Last month, Urfan arrived in Pakistan and called 999 in the UK to report that his daughter was dead at his home in Woking after which the couple, five other children, aged between one and 13, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28, went underground. 

The arrests came days after Sara’s father and stepmother released a video claiming they are willing to cooperate with British authorities. 

“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,” the Surrey police said on Wednesday. 

Five children placed in Pakistan govt childcare facility

It was previously believed that Urfan’s five other children, aged between one and 13, were with the trio but it was not until Monday (Sep 11) that the children were recovered from Urfan’s father, Muhammad Sharif’s home, in the northern city of Jhelum in Pakistan by the country’s police. 

ALSO READ | Pakistani police recover five children from Sara Sharif’s grandfather’s house

Muhammad said he had been hiding the children in his home in Jhelum since their arrival on August 10. Earlier this week, a judge in Pakistan ruled that Sara’s five siblings should temporarily be sent to a Pakistan government childcare centre. 

However, the ruling did not mention how long they would be kept in the government facility or where they would ultimately be sent. 

(With inputs from agencies) 

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