Sara Sharif’s granddad urges fugitive son to hand himself in to police
Sara Sharif’s granddad has appealed for his son to hand himself into the police.
An international manhunt was launched for Urfan Sharif after his 10-year-old daughter Sara was found dead at her home in the village of Horsall, near Woking, Surrey, on August 10.
She had suffered ‘multiple, extensive injuries’ and she was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
It is believed Urfan, 41, had called the police from Pakistan where he had fled with his partner Beinash Batool, 29, brother Faisal Malik, 28, and five children on August 9.
Sara’s granddad Muhammad said Urfan did not reveal anything about Sara’s death when he briefly visited their family home in the Punjab province.
He had urged his son to cooperate, telling the Sunday Times: ‘We want them to present themselves. We want to resolve the matter as the privacy of our house is affected due to frequent police raids.’
Two of the family’s relatives have been interrogated by police, Muhammad said.
Hafiz Hashmi, the leader of Shah Jahan Mosque which was attended by Sara’s family, has also appealed to Urfan to come forward.
He told The Mirror: ‘First of all, a father should not leave his child like this. We can’t believe this… if a child is in a situation like this, we should stay in this country with our children.
‘As Sara’s father, if you know police investigating want to speak with you, you should speak with the police. You should cooperate with the police.
‘I contacted the police because I wanted to pay my respects to the mother. At the same time I [wanted to] assure her that I will support and help her whenever the time comes – even if this is after the investigation.’
He added: ‘Sara is always here in our thoughts and prayers and we think of her loved ones and pray to God. Whatever we can do to support the investigation we are doing.’
In a statement to The Mirror, Rawalpindi Region police chief Khurram Ali said the force was trying its ‘level best’ to find Sharif, Batool and Malik, and was ‘close to locating them’
It comes as Surrey Police issued a new appeal for information to help them piece together a picture of Sara’s lifestyle prior to her death.
They widened the timescale of their investigation after the post-mortem examination revealed that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries, likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time.
Detective superintendent Mark Chapman thanked people who had already spoken to officers, but urged others to come forward.
‘We know that there will be lots of people in the Woking community and beyond who will have had contact with Sara who may not already have come forward, and we would encourage them to do so,’ he said.
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