Dad of ‘murdered’ Sara Sharif, 10, is being hunted by cops in Pakistan after girl, 10, was found dead at home in Woking
THE dad of the young girl found dead in a Woking home is said to be one of the three people at the centre of the international manhunt.
The body of Sara Sharif was found in Horsell, Surrey in the early hours of Thursday last week.
Cops quickly launched a murder probe, before revealing the three people they want to speak to about the 10-year-old's death had fled the UK.
Tributes poured in for the little girl in the days after her death as her father was named locally as Malik Urfan Sharif, 41.
Pakistan Police and Sharif's brother have now claimed cops were raiding houses in a hunt for the dad.
He is said to be one of the three who fled the country in the hours before young Sara's body was found.
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reported Chotala Police Station in Jhelum, which is co-ordinating the manhunt, said: "We have been asked by the senior officers to arrest Urfan Sharif who recently came from England.
"The FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) has sent a draft to district police officer to arrest him immediately.
"We are on it and hopefully he would be behind the bars soon."
Sharif's brother Imran said cops had been scouring his home since last week, searching for his sibling.
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He told the Mail: "After reaching Pakistan he came to us and instantly disappeared. He did not bring his family to our home.
"Some people say he is hiding somewhere in Jhelum in a rented house, but others said he may be gone to Mirpur where his in-laws are living."
The sibling said police had raided their home twice last week, taking "pictures of Urfan and other family members".
Imran added: "We have been warned to inform police immediately soon after receiving his whereabouts."
The Sun has contacted Punjab Police's Jhelum branch, Interpol and the National Crime Agency for comment.
Surrey Police today said it had no update on the matter.
Yesterday it was revealed a post-mortem examination performed on Tuesday concluded that the cause of Sara's was "still to be established".
Surrey Police Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman then called the investigation "traumatic" and has confirmed the police officers involved are being supported by the force.
Sara's body was found after police were rushed to an address belonging to her dad Urfan Sharif, on Hammond Road around 2.50am on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police quickly taped off the area, with officers seen heading in and out of the house with evidence bags in hand.
The following day, it emerged three people police wanted to speak to had skipped the country in the hours before the youngster's body was found.
It comes as a local travel agent said on Tuesday he was contacted by someone known to Sara, wanting group tickets to capital Islamabad, the .
The booking cost over £5,000 and was booked on August 9, hours before the girl's body was found alone in Horsell, near Woking, by cops.
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UK authorities now face an uphill battle to get the group - all known to Sara - back to Britain.
This is because the UK does not have a formal extradition treaty with Pakistan, making it difficult to get the runaways back for questioning.