Charges have been brought against three relatives of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in connection with her murder.
Sara’s body was found at her residence on August 10, and a post-mortem examination revealed that she had sustained ‘multiple and extensive injuries’ over a ‘sustained and extended’ period of time.
Her father, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner, Beinash Batool, 29, and Mr. Sharif’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28, all residing on Hammond Road, Woking, Surrey, UK, fled to Pakistan one day before Sara was discovered deceased, triggering an international manhunt.
Her father and stepmother
Following a month on the run, they were finally apprehended upon their return on Wednesday evening when their flight from Dubai landed at Gatwick Airport.
Mr. Sharif, Ms. Batool, and Mr. Malik are in custody and are scheduled to appear at Guildford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, September 15.
They have all been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child.
After their arrest, Olga expressed her relief at their detention nearly five weeks after her daughter’s death.
In her statement to The Sun, she said, “I am very happy that the police have made arrests. It is a huge relief and something I didn’t think would happen this quickly. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders but there is still a long way to go before I feel closure. What is important now is that the police can investigate with no information being kept back or put to the side. This needs everyone to work together. I have had to wait a long time for this and I didn’t know if they would ever be able to investigate what happened to my daughter.”