Police charge man, 51, with the murders of doctor and her 14-year-old daughter who were found at their fire-damaged Lancashire home

Police have charged a man with the murder of a respected doctor and her 14-year-old daughter.

The bodies of Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and Vian Mangrio, 14, were discovered inside their fire and smoke-damaged house in Burnley, Lancashire, on October 1.

Shabaz Khan, 51, of Ribble Avenue, Burnley, has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson.

A 44-year-old woman from Burnley, who was arrested earlier on Thursday on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and aiding and abetting murder remains in custody, police said. 

Police have charged a man with the murder of a respected doctor and her 14-year-old daughter. The bodies of Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and Vian Mangrio, 14, were discovered inside their fire and smoke-damaged house in Burnley, Lancashire, on October 1 

The bodies of Dr Sharman and a girl who was believed to be her daughter were found at their home on October 1 after police were called shortly before 9am over concerns for the pair's welfare. 

There was evidence of smoke and fire damage inside the property, Lancashire Police said. 

A post-mortem investigation performed by the Home Office found that Dr Sacharvi died as a result of pressure to the neck and that she had also suffered an assault.

The second body has not yet been formally identified but is believed to be Ms Mangrio. 

Officers added that the post-mortem investigation continues for her and no cause of death has yet been established.

Vian , 14, was an 'outstanding student', according to the headteacher at her school

But they said she was found badly burnt inside the home. 

Det Supt Jon Holmes, Head of Major Crime at Lancashire Police, said: 'Our thoughts remain with Saman and Vian's family and we have officers supporting them at this awful time.

'We are continuing to ask anybody with information about this incident to get in touch with us. If you were in the area and saw something suspicious, have dashcam or CCTV from the area or have any other information, we would ask you to contact us straight away.' 

Dr Sacharvi had been a junior doctor with Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust's specialist perinatal community mental health team since February.

Scores of emotional tributes have poured in for Dr Sacharvi , who worked for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust 

She most recently worked at its Daisyfield site in Blackburn. Paying tribute to her, perinatal lead consultant Gill Strachan said: 'Dr Sacharvi fitted in well with the team.

'She was approachable, diligent and had formed good working relationships with the team. 

'She was empathic and well-liked by the women and families that she worked with. Her colleagues described her as very kind, brilliant and a joy to work with. 

'During lockdown when Covid-19 restrictions were in place, she went out of her way to support the care of women, personally delivering prescriptions to women isolating at home.

'The team are shocked and saddened, and she will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with family and friends at this very sad time.'

Flowers left at the scene in Burnley this week following the deaths of the mother and daughter

Emergency services at the scene last Thursday following the discovery of the two bodies

Headteacher of Marsden Heights Community College, Alyson Littlewood, said: 'We are shocked and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of Vian and her mother and our whole school is mourning the loss of two much-loved members of our community.

'Vian was an outstanding student. She had that wonderful mix of academic ability coupled with an enthusiasm for everything else that school can offer.

'She was very popular and was involved in a whole range of school activities. She was extremely supportive of her friends, was generous to all and had a smile that could fill a room.

'We were all very fortunate to have her in our lives and we will miss her on a daily basis.'     

Anyone with information is asked to contact police as soon as possible through the dedicated Major Incident Portal at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/0401020119P01-PO1 or on 101, quoting log 0429 of October 3rd. 

Alternatively independent charity Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.