Sara Sharif cops storm plane to remove man in cuffs as 3 arrested for 'murder'

13 September 2023 , 22:13

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Sara Sharif cops storm plane to remove man in cuffs as 3 arrested for 'murder'

Police were seen storming a plane carrying three members of Sara Sharif's family tonight just moments after it landed at Gatwick.

Around a "dozen" officers were witnessed boarding the aircraft shortly after it landed on the runway. One passenger told the Sun that the people arrested "didn’t look particularly surprised", before adding: "I don’t know if it was arranged or if they suspected what would happen."

The passenger also claimed the men arrested had been sleeping while en route to the UK. People on board the Emirates flight were initially told there had been a "technical issue" before being informed that police would be boarding the plane.

Sara Sharif's body was found at her home in Woking, on August 10 (Surrey Police/AFP via Getty Imag)

One image from the scene shows a man being led away in handcuffs down the aisle of the plane. Surrey Police said three suspects were arrested at Gatwick Airport at around 7.54pm on Friday.

Sara's body was found at her home in Hammond Road, in Woking, on August 10, sparking what police described as an "extremely fast-moving, challenging and complex" investigation into the 10-year-old's death.

Police are 'closing in' on dad of murdered Woking girl, 10, after he vanished

Sara Sharif's father Malik Urfan Sharif, 41, was arrested this evening after returning to the UK (TikTok)

After disembarking a flight from Dubai, two men, aged 41 and 28, and a woman, aged 29, were arrested. The police have not named those arrested, but they are understood to be Sara's father Urfan Sharif, 41, his wife Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28. The three have been in Pakistan since August.

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: "Sara's mother has been informed of this latest update and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts remain with her and those affected by Sara's death at this very difficult time.

"This has been an extremely fast-moving, challenging and complex enquiry and we remain absolutely committed to conducting a thorough investigation into Sara's death. We will not be commenting any further at this point and will provide further updates as and when we are able to."

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas