Father among two charged with killing 10-year-old Sara Sharif

Officials in the United Kingdom said early Friday that the father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif have been charged with murdering the 10-year-old minor as her body was recovered at the family's residence near Woking, southeast England, on August 10.

According to the police, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, — who moved to Pakistan to take refuge with relatives before Sara's body was found — were charged with her murder.

Officials in the UK a day earlier detained three relatives of Sara Sharif on the alleged involvement in her killing as they arrived in Britain, a month after they ran to Pakistan.

"This evening... three people were arrested in connection with this investigation at Gatwick Airport," Surrey Police Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman said a day earlier in a televised statement.

The force said Friday that Sara's mother, Olga Sharif, has been informed of this development and she is being supported by specialist officers.

When the body of Sara Sharif was recovered, a post-mortem examination was run which revealed that she sustained injuries for a long period of time.

The suspects flew from Pakistan to Britain via the gulf hub.

"They are currently in custody and will be interviewed in due course," Police that day.

A Pakistan police spokesman had earlier said that Sharif, Batool and Malik had voluntarily returned to Britain with the prior knowledge of authorities.

"I confirm that they have not been arrested but they left voluntarily," Raja Haq Nawaz, a lawyer for Urfan Sharif's father, also told AFP.

Sara's five siblings, aged between one and 13 years old, also flew to Pakistan on August 9 with their relatives.

A few days prior to his arrest, police took custody of five of Urfan Sharif's children, from Punjab's Jhelum district, BBC reported.

Sara, a 10-year-old girl, was found dead at her family's residence in Woking, Surrey in the UK on August 10. Post-mortem examinations revealed that Sara had sustained multiple and extensive injuries.

The District Police Officer (DPO) of Jhelum confirmed the custody of the children, identifying them as Noman, Azlam, Ihsan, Hina, and Bisma Sharif. However, Urfan Sharif, the father and prime suspect, remains at large, and police are actively conducting raids to apprehend him, Geo News reported.

Sara's grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, said that he had been sheltering the children at his residence in Jhelum but did not specify how long they had been there. He previously denied having any contact with his son or knowing their whereabouts.

Witnesses reported a significant police presence outside the Sharif residence, with officers halting traffic and preventing people from using their phones to record. According to Muhammad Sharif, the police damaged his home's gates and CCTV cameras during the operation.

Sara's family has accused the police of intimidation, involuntary detention of some relatives, and unwarranted searches of their homes. They claim that the police fabricated charges against them to exert further pressure.

However, the police have denied these allegations. The investigation into Sara Sharif's murder continues, with efforts focused on locating and apprehending the prime suspect, Urfan Sharif.