Doctor found dead alongside daughter a ‘ joy to work with’

A DOCTOR at the centre of a double murder investigation after being found dead alongside her 14- year- old daughter has been described as “well loved” and a “joy to work with”.

The bodies of Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and schoolgirl Vian Mangrio were discovered at the home they shared together in Burnley at 8.45am last Thursday.

Police have now revealed that Dr Sacharvi had suffered an assault and died from “pressure to the neck”, while her daughter’s corpse was found badly burned.

As investigators probe the suspected double murder, scores of emotional tributes have poured in for Dr Sacharvi, who worked for the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

A trust spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with Dr Sacharvi’s family and friends at this time.

“She was a well loved and well liked colleague here at the trust, described as ‘ brilliant’ and a ‘ joy to work with’.”

Former colleagues and patients have also taken to social media to pay their respects.

Supt Jon Holmes, Lancashire Constabulary’s head of major crime, urged anyone with information about what happened to step forward.

He said: “This is a truly harrowing set of circumstances and my thoughts are very much with the loved ones of Dr Sacharvi and Miss Mangrio.

“They have my deepest condolences at this awful time.

“We are now treating the investigation as a double murder inquiry and, although we are still in the relatively early stages, we have a dedicated team of detectives and staff working on it.

“They are following a number of lines of enquiry to piece together exactly what has happened.”

He added: “I would now appeal to anyone with any information about these two deaths to get in touch with us.

“Perhaps you have seen something suspicious close to the scene in recent days or weeks, maybe you have CCTV or dashcam footage taken in the area that you can share with us, or perhaps you think you know who may be responsible.

“Even if you think that the information you have is insignificant, please come and speak to us and let us be the judge.

“We also recognise that this will have caused concern in the local community and we would like to reassure residents that we have extra patrols in and around the area.”