Fugitive stepmother of girl found dead at home should return to UK, says cousin

The body of Sara Sharif was found at a property in Woking after police were called from Pakistan by her father Urfan Sharif on August 10.

Detectives are continuing to search for the father of 10-year-old Sara Shariff (Surrey Police/PA) (PA Media)

The fugitive stepmother of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, should come back to the UK and tell the police exactly what happened, her relative has said.

The body of Sara Sharif was found at a property on Hammond Road after police were called from Pakistan by her father Urfan Sharif on August 10.

Mr Sharif, 41, his partner, Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28, are thought to have travelled to Islamabad on August 9 and are wanted for questioning.

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13 years old, police said.

A cousin of Ms Batool has now urged her to hand herself in to the police.

The relative, who asked not to be named, told Sky News: “Beinash should come back to the UK.

“I don’t know where she is. But I’m worried about her. I’m worried about her kids.

“She should come back to the UK, go to the police and tell them exactly what happened.”

She added: “I don’t know – my family don’t know – what happened. It could have been an accident; a misunderstanding.”

Ms Batool’s cousin, who is originally from Gujrat in Pakistan, also told the broadcaster Ms Batool was estranged from her parents, having run away to marry Mr Sharif.

The relative told Sky News: “The relationship (with her family) is finished.

“She married secretly, and her father said, ‘She is not my daughter’.

“She hasn’t spoken to her parents since.”

Sara’s grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, 68, has also urged his son Urfan Sharif to hand himself over to the police.

Muhammad Sharif said his son had briefly visited the family home in the city of Jhelum, Punjab province, earlier this month before he disappeared again.

He said Urfan did not tell him about Sara’s death.

He told The Sunday Times: “We want them to present themselves.

“We want them to resolve the matter as the privacy of our house is affected due to frequent police raids.”

Surrey Police are continuing to 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.

Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, is being supported by specialist officers.

Surrey County Council previously told the PA news agency Sara was known to the local authority.

Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, previously said: “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.

“Any information is better than no information – although you might think it’s insignificant, it might be vital to the investigation and in helping us to bring justice for Sara.”

Lawyers in the UK have said Pakistan’s government is unlikely to block an extradition request in connection to Sara’s death.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan but people have been returned from the Asian country before.