Children taken from home of Sara Sharif’s grandfather in Pakistan – reports
Five children have been taken from the home of 10-year-old Sara Sharif’s grandfather in Pakistan, according to reports.
The BBC reported that dozens of police officers raided Muhammad Sharif’s property in the city of Jhelum at around 11.30am GMT on Monday.
It obtained witness accounts from the scene which said officers broke CCTV cameras at the property, stopped traffic and prevented passers-by from filming the incident.
Muhammad Sharif told the BBC he had been hiding the children in his home, but did not specify for how long.
Sara was found dead at her home in Woking after officers were called from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, at about 2.50am on August 10, Surrey Police have previously said.
A post-mortem examination found she had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period of time.
Mr Sharif’s partner, Beinash Batool, 29, has also left the UK for Pakistan.
The pair left Britain with five children aged between one and 13, and Surrey Police want to question them over Sara’s death.
Last week, Sara’s stepmother spoke publicly for the first time since the little girl was found dead.
In a clip of the footage posted online by Sky, Ms Batool described Sara’s death as “an incident” and said that she and Mr Sharif were willing to co-operate with UK authorities over the case.
A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: “We are aware of the media reporting today (September 11), with the update that the five children have been found by Pakistani police.
“Clearly this is significant, and we have been liaising with Surrey County Council and our international partners, including Interpol, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the National Crime Agency, to determine the next steps.”
The force added that the welfare of the five children continues to be a priority.