LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in the UK is being tracked by police in Pakistan, according to reports.
British police launched a murder investigation after officers discovered the body of Sara Sharif in her father’s home in Surrey, about 25 miles from central London, on Aug. 10.
Detective superintendent Mark Chapman said on Friday that Malik Urfan Sharif, Sara’s father, left the UK with his partner, Beinash Batool, and his brother, Faisal Malik, the day before the child’s body was found.
Officers are working with Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the Foreign Office, and liaising with Pakistani authorities. There is no extradition treaty in place between the UK and Pakistan.
“Firstly, on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences following Sara’s tragic death,” Chapman said. “Our thoughts are with her mother at this difficult time. We also fully appreciate the impact this devastating incident will have had within the local community.
“While the postmortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry.
“As a result, we are trying to piece together a picture of Sara’s lifestyle but we cannot do this without the public’s help. That is why we are appealing for anyone who knew Sara, had any form of contact with her, or has any other information about her, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to come forward as soon as possible.”
Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation, Chapman added.
