LONDON: Police in Surrey are hunting for three people who spent thousands of pounds on one-way air tickets to Pakistan, as they try to solve the case of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in a house after a “call for concern” on Aug 10.

The body of Sara Sharif, daughter of Olga Sharif and 31-year-old Malik Urfan Sharif, was found in a Woking council house belonging to Mr Sharif, a local taxi driver, in the early hours of Aug 10. Police said no other people were found at the property when the body was discovered.

The discovery of the minor’s body prompted a murder investigation, with police now hunting for three people in connection with the probe.

It is unclear whether the trio wanted for questioning by police are members of the deceased’s family, as police have not released names, but it is reported that “they were known to her”. Police believe the trio left the country on Aug 9, a day before Sara’s body was discovered, and that they spent up to 5,000 pounds on one-way tickets to Pakistan for three adults and five children.

Police looking for three people who bought one-way tickets to Pakistan

Ms Olga and Mr Sharif are no longer married, and media reports indicated that Mr Sharif has full custody.

Ms Olga said she was on her way to Poland when authorities called to say, “You need to come to England and come to the police station in Dover”.

“He told me she could not say why over the phone, but when I called again they told me to pull over, so we did. Then she told me Sara had been found dead in a house and I just burst into tears. It took us six hours to get back to the UK,” she said.

Neighbours told reporters that a Pakistani family with six “very young” children had moved into the house in April this year. Surrey Police said officers are still at the address and that no arrests have yet been made.

Acquaintances of Mr Sharif, who reportedly moved to the UK around 20 years ago, told media they had been left shocked by the news. MailOnline quoted one individual as saying “I just can’t believe it. He is such a friendly guy who adores his kids. He’s been living in the UK for years and is originally from Pakistan. He works as a taxi driver with a hackney plate outside Woking station.”

Ms Olga told journalists she married Mr Sharif in 2009, and that their marriage ended in 2017.

In 2019, he was awarded full custody of both Sara and her 13-year-old brother. Ms Olga said she was only allowed to see her children twice in the four years since she lost custody, aside from occasional phone conversations. She also said that in 2021, she was cut off completely after an argument between her and Mr Sharif’s new partner, Beenish.

Ms Olga hoped to take Sara’s body to be buried in Poland after police release it following a post-mortem and other formalities.

An autopsy performed on Tuesday this week concluded that the cause of death was “still to be established”.

The National Crime Agency in a statement said it is working with the police on this case. “The NCA is supporting Surrey Police with their investigations into the murder of a 10-year-old girl. This involves specialist officers from our Joint International Crime Centre and across our international network providing operational support, advice and guidance as required,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2023