Sara Sharif case: Urfan Sharif’s five children sent to Child Protection Bureau

In a recent development in the Sara Sharif case, Jhelum police have shifted Urfan Sharif’s five children to the Child Protection Bureau in Lahore

A day before, Sharif’s children, found in their grandfather’s house, were taken into protective custody by the police as the hunt continues for their father and stepmother.

The children have been shifted to the Bureau after a local court granted permission to the police to do so. The children are said to be in the Bureau’s custody till the parents, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool, are found and arrested.

Dawn spoke with Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurram Ali, who stated that the parents as well as Urfan Sharif’s brother (and Sara’s uncle) are still on the run and the police is “conducting raids at possible hideouts for their arrests”.

He also clarified that the three suspects cannot flee Pakistan as FIA’s Immigration Wing has put staff on alert at all airports.

Additionally, the parent’s relatives have not been complying and have even approached Lahore High Court against the police, claiming that the police have illegally detained around 10 relatives of Urfan. “The court was being misled through fabricated information”, RPO added.

Dawn highlighted that the police had interrogated 10 to 15 of the relatives on Saturday in the search to pinpoint the couple’s whereabouts, after which they were allowed to leave.

The RPO said the relatives are playing a “dubious role” and contributing to the couple’s “trouble”.

Urfan’s father initially claimed to not have any information about his grandchildren, however, they were found at his place after the raid.

“If they did nothing wrong in London, they should feel free to hand themselves over to the police”, said the RPO, referring to the couple, hoping that they will surrender soon since the children should not be kept away from the parents for too long.

The case

On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.