Five Children Rescued During Raid on Sara Sharif’s Grandfather’s Residence

In a dramatic turn of events, police in Pakistan rescued five children from the home of Sara Sharif’s grandfather, following the search for the deceased girl’s father, who had fled the UK.

UK police had earlier discovered the lifeless body of 10-year-old Sara alone in her family home south of London. Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, her stepmother Beinash Batool, and uncle Faisal Malik have been missing since and were believed to be in Pakistan.

Witnesses recounted the intense moment when a large police contingent stormed the grandfather’s residence after breaking down its gates. As per the BBC, the children had been sheltered there.

A month prior, Urfan Sharif unexpectedly booked eight one-way tickets and traveled to Pakistan with his partner Batool, his brother Malik, and the five children, whose ages range between one and 13. However, the three adults were not found at the grandfather’s home during the raid.

The children were briefly relocated post-raid but were later returned to the house in Jellum, the city where Urfan Sharif had spent his childhood.

Sara’s grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, told the BBC that the children had been with him since their arrival on August 10. He asserted that he had not been hiding them, saying, “I informed Urfan and Beinash that the kids couldn’t leave with them. Surprisingly, until now, everyone had been asking about the adults, but nobody inquired about the children’s well-being.”

The children’s custody hearing is set to take place on Tuesday.

Local police representative, Nasir Mehmood Bajwa, explained to The Guardian that officers had to forcibly enter the residence by breaking the main gate’s locks and later confiscated the installed CCTV cameras.

The police continue their manhunt for Sharif, Batool, and Malik. The trio recently released a video stating they were in hiding due to fears of the Pakistani police, mentioning that Sara’s death was due to an “incident”.

Since receiving a tip-off from Interpol about Sara’s demise, Pakistani police have searched over 20 properties. Muhammad Sharif reported that Urfan briefly visited after arriving but quickly vanished.

Urging his son to surrender because of mounting pressure from authorities, Muhammad Sharif voiced his concerns. After leaving the UK hastily, Urfan informed British police about Sara’s death and her location in their Woking residence.

Recently, Sara’s mother and grandmother shared with a Polish broadcaster the harrowing experience of identifying Sara’s bruised and injured body in a morgue.

Following the tragic discovery of Sara’s body, UK police acknowledged prior dealings with the family concerning Sara but did not disclose further details. One of Sara’s schoolmate’s mother revealed that Sara had once shown up at school with injuries, leading to her eventual shift to homeschooling.

With no existing extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan, UK authorities are coordinating with international bodies, including Interpol and the UK Foreign Office, to further their investigation in collaboration with Pakistani officials.