Three family members connected to the case of a 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in the UK have been arrested in Pakistan and extradited to Britain as part of a murder investigation.
Sara Sharif was discovered deceased in her home in the southern outskirts of London on August 10, having sustained extensive injuries. Her father, Urfan Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool, and his brother Faisal Malik were named as individuals of interest in the investigation. The three had traveled to Islamabad a day before the girl’s body was found. They were arrested in Pakistan before being flown to the UK from Sialkot in eastern Punjab province.
The trio had initially flown to Pakistan on August 9, with the couple going into hiding in central Pakistan, prompting a police manhunt. An autopsy conducted on the girl did not conclusively determine the cause of death but indicated that she had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries, which are likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time,” according to British police.
The girl’s five siblings, aged 1 to 13, were discovered by Pakistani police in Urfan Sharif’s family home in central Pakistan. A court ordered that the children be placed in the custody of the Child Protection Bureau in Rawalpindi city, near Islamabad. To pressure the couple into surrendering, police detained 10 relatives of Urfan Sharif, including his father, brothers, and cousins.
The case has sparked significant public concern and prompted authorities in both countries to cooperate in the investigation.