Police recovered the five children of Urfan Sharif, who fled to Pakistan after his 10-year-old daughter Sara was found dead in Britain, from his father on Monday.
The five children, aged between one and 13, were found at the home of Muhammad Sharif, Urfan’s father and Sara’s grandfather, in the northern city of Jhelum, 173 kilometers from Lahore.
The news comes a month after Urfan, 41, fled Britain to Pakistan with his wife and brother, along with his five children, before calling 911 from the city of Islamabad to report that his daughter was dead in his home in Horsell, near Woking. .
Nasir Mehmood Bajwa, a district police officer, told the Guardian: “Police with a heavy contingent raided Sharif’s residence in Jhelum on Monday evening and recovered five children. They are healthy and in good condition.’
Police reportedly smashed the locks on the main entrance to the house before storming in and seizing CCTV cameras as part of a major raid on more than 20 properties in search of the family.
Sara Sharif (pictured) was found dead and alone at her family’s home near Woking, Surrey, on August 10.
The five children were found in Muhammad Urfan’s house (photo)
Pakistani police, who arrested 10 members of Sara’s family this weekend, are still looking for Urfan, his wife, Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28.
Muhammad Sharif previously denied knowing where the rest of Sara’s siblings were, but admitted to the BBC that he had hidden his grandchildren in Jhelum.
He did not say how long they had been with him.
Earlier this week, Mohammed pleaded with his son to “cooperate with the police and face the law.”
‘Sharing the truth is their fundamental right, it is not possible to hide things. The more details they share, the better for them.”
Mohammed said last weekend that the family is negotiating with local politicians to take themselves into official custody.
Sara was just ten when she was found dead and alone in her family’s home on August 10.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the young girl had suffered ‘multiple and extensive injuries’.
An inquest held last month found that Sara’s cause of death was ‘not yet established’ but was likely ‘unnatural’.
Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, revealed that her injuries were so bad that she barely recognized her at the morgue.
“One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised,” she told Polish TV channel TVN.
“Even now, when I close my eyes, I can see what my baby looked like.”
Olga said she hopes to bury her child in her native Poland.
Urfan and Beinash were last seen in a video published last week, in which the stepmother said without emotion that Sara’s death “was an isolated incident.”
An inquest held in August did not determine an exact cause of death but said it was likely ‘unnatural’
Sara’s body was found at her family’s home in Horsell, near Woking
Sara’s family had fled Britain to Pakistan when her body was found
‘Our family in Pakistan is being hit hard by everything that is going on. My biggest worry is that the Pakistani police will torture or kill us, that is why we are in hiding,” she added.
“All our relatives have gone into hiding because everyone is afraid for their safety. The children cannot go to school because they are afraid to leave the house. No one leaves the house.
‘The groceries have run out and there is no food for the children because the adults cannot leave their homes for fear of safety. That’s why we went into hiding.’
Beinash denied in the video that the schoolgirl fell down the stairs and broke her neck, claiming that this statement was spread by a Pakistani media outlet.
She added that the family was willing to cooperate with British authorities and was prepared to “fight our case in court.”
Surrey Police said shortly after the family’s video was published that it was working with Interpol, the British Foreign Office and the National Crime Agency to determine next steps.
Sara’s mother, Olga, said she barely recognized her own daughter at the morgue
Olga said of her daughter’s body in the morgue: ‘One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised’
“We are working hard to advance the investigation into Sara’s murder and an important part of this is gathering information about her life from anyone who knew her or her family,” Chief Inspector Mark Chapman, of the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team , said
‘We are grateful to everyone who has provided information, and I would like to emphasize that any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could be helpful in developing our understanding of her lifestyle.
‘Every piece of information we receive is assessed by the investigation team and further investigation is carried out if necessary. I would urge anyone who has information and has not yet come forward to contact us.”
MailOnline previously reported that police had arrested one of Sara’s uncles, Imran, because they were ‘convinced’ he knew where the family were hiding.
A source said, “We spoke to Imran and some family members last week and they insisted that they did not know where Urfan and his family are.
‘But we don’t believe them, it is absolutely impossible that they cannot know where eight of their relatives who came from England are. They tell us a lot of lies.’
‘They clearly have something to hide. We got hold of one and will interrogate him until he tells us the truth.”