DAD SNARED
Sara Sharif’s father & stepmum arrested after cops escorted them off plane WEEKS after schoolgirl, 10, was ‘murdered’
SARA Sharif’s dad and stepmum have been arrested on suspicion of murder after landing back in the UK.
Urfan Sharif, 41, and partner Beinash Batool, 29, had spent weeks on the run in Pakistan since Sara, 10, was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10.
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Urfan and Batool left Britain with Sara's uncle Faisal Malik and five children aged between one and 13, before going into hiding.
Interpol then with police in Pakistan liasing with cops in the UK.
Today a police spokesperson in Pakistan revealed three people had been arrested and flown to the UK.
They landed at Gatwick this evening and were immediately taken off the plane by police.
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Now cops have revealed the trio have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A police spokesperson said: "Our investigation into the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif was launched following the discovery of her body at her home address in Hammond Road, Woking, on August 10.
"This evening, around 7.45pm, three people were arrested in connection with this investigation at Gatwick Airport.
"Two men, aged 41 years and 28 years, and a woman, aged 29 years, were arrested on suspicion of murder after disembarking a flight from Dubai. They are currently in custody and will be interviewed in due course.
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"Sara’s mother has been informed of this latest update and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts remain with her and those affected by Sara’s death at this very difficult time.
"This has been an extremely fast-moving, challenging and complex enquiry and we remain absolutely committed to conducting a thorough investigation into Sara’s death."
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It comes after Surrey Police said on Tuesday it was working to secure the safe return of Sara's five siblings from Pakistan after a court ruled the children would be temporarily moved to a government childcare facility.
The force said it had been working with Surrey County Council and international authorities after the Pakistani court made the ruling.
It is unclear where the children will ultimately be sent or for how long they may be kept in the facility.
The children, aged between one and 13 years old, travelled to Pakistan with Mr Sharif, Ms Batool and Mr Malik.
The children were carried by family members into court for around 40 minutes on Tuesday before being moved to another court as authorities tried to decide on their next steps, the BBC reported.
Sara's grandfather Muhammad Sharif said he had been hiding the children in his home, but did not specify for how long.
It comes after a video emerged last week of Sharif and Batool reading a statement together about the horror.
Batool said her family "are willing to cooperate with the UK authorities and fight our case in court" - but moaned about the conditions they are living under.
Batool also said her family have gone into hiding as "everyone is scared for their safety.
She said: "The kids are unable to attend school as they're afraid to leave the house. No one is leaving the house.
"The groceries have run out and there is no food for the kids as the adults are unable to leave their homes out of fear for safety."
It was the first time the pair had surfaced since they disappeared to Pakistan.
Sara's body was discovered after Sharif called 999 from Pakistan.
An inquest opened into Sara's death last week heard how medics are still unable to establish a cause of death.
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But Woking Coroner's Court was told the youngster's death is likely to have been "unnatural".
A previous post-mortem revealed she suffered “multiple and extensive injuries which are likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time”.
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