Sara Sharif death: 'Children taken from grandfather's Pakistan home'

Girl's grandfather said he had been hiding the children in his home, but did not specify for how long

Sara Sharif, who was found dead in Woking, south-west London, on August 10. Surrey Police / AFP
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Five children have been taken from the home of 10-year-old Sara Sharif's grandfather in Pakistan, according to reports.

Dozens of Pakistani police officers raided Muhammad Sharif’s property in the city of Jhelum about 11.30am GMT on Monday, the BBC reported.

According to witness accounts from the scene, officers broke security cameras at the property, stopped traffic and prevented passers-by from filming the incident.

Mr 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, about 2.50am on August 10, Surrey Police have said.

A post mortem examination found she had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period .

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's body was found.

In a clip of the footage posted online by Sky, Ms Batool described Sara’s death as “an incident” and said she and Mr Sharif were willing to co-operate with UK authorities over the case.

“We are aware of the media reporting today [September 11], with the update that the five children have been found by Pakistani police," a representative of Surrey Police said.

“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 said the welfare of the five children continued to be a priority.

Updated: September 11, 2023, 9:47 PM