Sara Sharif: Appeal translated into Urdu to reach Pakistani nationals month after schoolgirl's death
Detectives investigating the murder of Sara Sharif have revealed their appeal has been translated into Urdu in a bid to reach Pakistani nationals living in the area.
Four weeks on, police say they are continuing to distribute leaflets in the area, appealing for information about Sara, or her family, which could help to progress the investigation.
Posters have also been displayed in and around Woking train station and taxi ranks around the town.
Officers fluent in Urdu working for the force are also supporting the investigation team - helping to translate information given by members of the public.
Sara's death left the local community in shock, with an international manhunt continuing for her father, stepmother and siblings who are believed to have fled to Pakistan.
On Wednesday, her father Urfan Sharif, 41, and his partner Beinash Batool, 29, released a video in which they describe the 10-year-old's death as an "incident".
Sara's grandfather also revealed the family "do intend to return to the UK".
Speaking to ITV News from Pakistan, Muhammad Sharif said that while he believed his son and daughter-in-law should hand themselves in, they fled "out of police fear".
Detectives in Surrey say their appeal has generated "a number of enquiries" which are helping them to piece together a picture of Sara’s life before her tragic death.
Specialist teams and forensic experts remain at two addresses linked to Sara and her family - properties in Eden Grove Road in Byfleet, and their most recent home address in Hammond Road, Horsell.
Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: “We are working hard to progress the investigation into Sara’s murder and a key part of this is piecing together information about her life from anyone who knew her or her family.
“We are grateful to everyone who has come forward with information, and I would like to stress that any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, could be of use in developing our understanding of her lifestyle.
“Every single piece of information that we receive is reviewed by the investigation team and further enquiries are carried out if appropriate. I would urge anyone who may have information and hasn’t yet come forward to reach out to us.
“There are a number of ways you can do this - you can report information via our portal, which is in both English and Urdu, you can call 101 if you would prefer to speak on the phone, or if you would like to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers.”
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