Police hunt father, stepmother and uncle in connection with death of Sara Sharif, 10, in Surrey
18 August 2023, 18:15 | Updated: 8 September 2023, 14:54
Police have identified the three people they are looking for amid ongoing investigations into the death of Sara Sharif who was found in a property in Surrey.
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Sara Sharif, 10, was alone when she was found dead at a property in Woking in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Police launched an international manhunt following the incident and have now identified the three people they are looking for as they continue their murder investigation.
"These people have been identified as Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and Urfan’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28," Surrey Police said.
"An investigation, led by Surrey Police and Sussex Police’s Major Crime Team, was launched to establish the circumstances of Sara's death and this remains ongoing," Surrey Police said in a statement.
"As a result, officers identified three people they would like to speak to as part of the ongoing investigation into Sara’s death.
"It is believed Urfan travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan, in company with his partner and his brother on Wednesday, 9 August. There were five children with them aged between a year and 13 years old."
Police were called to an address in Woking, at around 2.50am on Thursday 10 August after a 999 call, which was made by a man identifying himself as Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif. The call was made from Pakistan.
A body, which was formally identified at Sara's after DNA testing, was found the day after the three are believed to have travelled to Islamabad.
A post-mortem carried out on Tuesday did not establish a cause of death but did reveal multiple and extensive injuries, which appear to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time.
Her mother Olga Sharif paid tribute to Sara after the incident, as she said: "My life will never be the same again. Sara should be with me right now. She was too young.
An investigation, led by Surrey Police and Sussex Police’s Major Crime Team, was launched to establish the circumstances of Sara's death and remains ongoing.
Surrey Police also added: "Our enquiries remain ongoing to locate them and we are continuing to work with international agencies, including Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to progress our enquiries with the Pakistani authorities."
Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: “Firstly, on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences following Sara’s tragic death. Our thoughts are with her mother at this difficult time. We also fully appreciate the impact this devastating incident will have had within the local community.
“While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our enquiry.
“As a result, we are trying to piece together a picture of Sara’s lifestyle but we cannot do this without the public’s help.“That is why we are appealing for anyone who knew Sara, had any form of contact with her, or has any other information about her, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to come forward as soon as possible."
Det Supt Chapman said: “In the meantime, I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible, including working with our partners and international agencies, to ensure that those responsible for Sara’s tragic and untimely death are brought to justice.”
