The uncle of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was tragically found dead in a Woking home, has reportedly told police she ‘fell down the stairs and broke her neck’ after being detained in Pakistan.
Sara was discovered by police in her family home on August 10, and police confirmed that three family members fled to Pakistan the day before she was found.
Police were called by her father, 41, who is believed to have rushed to Islamabad with his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Mali, 28, before they could be questioned in Britain.
The adults traveled with five children, aged between five and thirteen. Sara was one of six siblings.
Her uncle Imran Sharif has not been charged but is said to be assisting in the hunt for his brother, Sara’s father, after it was reported that police in Pakistan under ‘tremendous pressure’ from the British High Commission to find him.
The uncle of 10-year-old Sara Sharif (pictured), who was tragically found dead in a Woking home, has reportedly told police she ‘fell down the stairs and broke her neck’
Urfan Sharif (left) fled the UK with his partner Beinash Batool (centre), brother Faisal Malik (right). They are wanted for questioning about Sara’s murder
Police in Pakistan have arrested Imran Sharif (pictured), an uncle of Sara Sharif, as they suspect he knows where her father, stepmother and another uncle, all wanted for her murder, are hiding
sky news reports that Imran Sharif claims that Sara had an accident at home.
He allegedly told the officers: ‘Beinash was at home with the children. Sara fell down the stairs and broke her neck. Beinash panicked and called Urfan.’
Surrey Police said an autopsy showed Sara had suffered ‘multiple and extensive injuries’, which they said were ‘probably caused over a sustained and prolonged period’.
Imran Sharif denied knowing where Urfan and his family were, Jhelum police said.
He allegedly told the officers: ‘I found out what happened to Sara through the international media. My parents told me that Urfan came home very upset for a short time. He kept saying ‘they’ would take his children from him.’
Police said they have arrested Sharif’s brother because they are “convinced” he knows where the family is hiding.
It is also alleged that Mr. Sharif’s parents, along with other relatives, who live in a large house in the town of Jhelum in Pakistan’s Punjab province, have now also gone into hiding.
Beinash Batool’s childhood home in Mirpur has also been searched but there is no trace of the family.
A police source said: “We spoke to Imran and some relatives last week and they insisted they do 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 have come from England are. They tell us a lot of lies.’
Sara’s mother, Poland’s Olga Sharif, 36, pictured left, who was married to Mr Sharif between 2009 and 2017, urged her ex-husband to ‘come forward and explain herself’
Urfan Sharif (left) and Beinash Batool (right) are wanted for murder, leading to an international manhunt
Police cordoned off a crime scene and conducted an investigation at Sara Sharif’s home in Woking on Thursday
An international manhunt has been launched for the three adults, but Britain has no formal extradition treaty with Pakistan.
Sharif, a local taxi driver in Surrey, is originally from Jhelum, in the Punjab region of North West Pakistan, where police fear he may have returned with his partner and brother.
Last week, Imran Sharif revealed that his fugitive brother had visited the family home alone once since returning to Pakistan, but left soon after. He denies knowing his current whereabouts.
In addition, Sara’s mother, Polish Olga Sharif (36), who was married to Mr Sharif between 2009 and 2017, urged her ex-husband to ‘come forward and explain’.
Heartbroken, Ms. Sharif praised her daughter as “a wonderful child” and added, “She was so beautiful. I can’t believe she’s dead.’
Ms. Sharif hopes to bury her child back in her native Poland.
All efforts are currently focused on finding Sara’s missing relatives.
Malik Imran, the investigating officer at the Saddar police station in Jhelum, who is coordinating the investigation, said: ‘We are under enormous pressure from the authorities to find the location of Urfan Sharif.
“The British High Commission in Islamabad is pressuring us to find (Urfan Sharif) immediately or they will send their own investigators.”
Superintendent Mark Chapman, of the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: ‘We now know that Sara has suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period of time, which has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have research expanded. the time scale on which our research focuses.
“As a result, we’re trying to get a picture of Sara’s lifestyle, but we can’t do this without the help of the public.
“We therefore appeal to anyone who knew Sara, had contact with her in any way, or has any other information about her, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward as soon as possible.”
Sara’s family was known to both the police and the municipality, it became known this weekend.
But police have not referred themselves to the IOPC, saying their knowledge of the family was “historic” and the case did not meet the threshold for doing so.
Surrey County Council have said they are ‘working tirelessly’ to fully understand the fallout leading up to Sara’s death – and have now revealed that the girl was known to them prior to her death.
A spokeswoman told MailOnline: ‘We can confirm that Sara Sharif was known to Surrey County Council, but we are unable to comment further while the thorough review process of the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership is ongoing.’
On Friday, council leader Tim Oliver said: ‘This is an incredibly sad situation and our thoughts and deepest sympathy go out to all those affected.’
He said the national Child Safeguarding panel has been notified of the death and a rapid multi-agency review is underway, in line with standard process following the death of a child.
He explained: ‘This rapid review will determine whether a local assessment of child protection practice (LCSPR) should be carried out by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership.
“An LCSPR is a legal process that brings together partners, including the police, health, social care and education, to review the practice of all relevant agencies, organizational structures and learning processes.”