Cause of death of 10-year-old Pakistani-origin girl killed in UK not yet ascertained but likely 'unnatural' Report

London/Lahore, Aug 29 (PTI) The cause of death of a 10-year-old Pakistani-origin girl in Surrey under mysterious circumstances has not been established yet but was likely to be "unnatural", an inquest heard on Tuesday, days after a search for her family was launched in Pakistan after they fled the UK, a media report said.
     The body of Sara Sharif, daughter of Olga Sharif and 31-year-old Malik Urfan Sharif, was found alone in a Woking council house in Surrey on August 10, a day after her relatives flew to Pakistan.
     The discovery of the minor’s body prompted a murder investigation, with the police launching an international hunt for Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, his partner, Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik, in connection with the probe.
     On Tuesday, an inquest at Surrey Coroner's Court heard that the precise cause of Sara's death was "not yet ascertained" but was likely to be "unnatural", the BBC reported.
     The court heard that at a post-mortem examination, the pathologist was unable to ascertain the precise cause of death but said it was likely to be unnatural.
     At the opening of the inquest proceeding, Coroner Simon Wickens adjourned the hearing for six months while police investigated the matter.
     Asserting that he would not normally adjourn proceedings for such a long period, Wickens said he was doing so because of the complexity of the police investigation and the international element. The inquest was suspended until February 29, 2024.
     The coroner confirmed that Sara was born in Slough in January 2013 and died in her home in Woking.
     According to the report, Sara was identified by comparing her DNA with that of her mother, Olga. It added that her death was verified in the early hours of August 10, but that was not necessarily the time of death.
     Nobody from Sara's family was present at the inquest opening, the report said.
     The London police were told that the suspects had spent thousands of pounds on one-way air tickets to escape to Pakistan, following which the Interpol alerted the Pakistani police authorities to help trace the three suspects.
     Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali Shah told the Dawn newspaper that the police teams were on hot pursuit of the suspects and trying hard to trace the possible hideouts of the suspected family.
     He said the police obtained the video footage of the immigration counter of Islamabad airport and found Sharif, his wife and children arriving there on August 9.
     Police teams in Pakistan's Jhelum city in the Punjab province have carried out frequent raids at all possible hideouts, including in Sharif’s hometown, Dena in Jhelum; in the hometown of Sara’s mother and in Sialkot, where close relatives of the suspects live.
     Authorities picked up the prime suspect's maternal uncle and brother for questioning, but they were unsure about Sharif’s location and his other family members.
     Police said the family remained elusive, with Sharif taking extra precautions to avoid detection. Officials said the suspected family might have gone underground somewhere in some other province.
     Meanwhile, Sharif’s father has appealed to his son to come forward and speak to the police.
     Speaking to The Sunday Times, Muhammad Sharif, 68, urged his son to come forward. “We want them to present themselves,” he said. “We want to resolve the matter as the privacy of our house is affected due to frequent police raids.”
     He said his son had not informed him of Sara’s death when he briefly visited them in Jhelum after they arrived in Islamabad.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)